The Force is Everywhere
by Smeagol Fasir Kenobi
Summary: What happens when Obi-Wan's message to Coruscant from Geonosha is never received? Can he survive without the aid of the Jedi? And what happens when he finds himself in a strange world?
1. Rivendell

**Chapter One

* * *

**

Anakin, my long-range transmitter has been knocked out; transmit this message to Coruscant," Obi-Wan Kenobi instructed. But his message was never received. Anakin and Padme had turned the ship off like normal people, and R2 had left.

A droid came up towards Obi-Wan and fired. The startled Jedi drew his lightsaber. But he could already tell he was outnumbered. And no one had received his message.

* * *

Obi-Wan tried to move, but he couldn't. He was trapped in some kind of force field. Count Dooku had come in some time earlier, he remembered. He hadn't given the traitor any form of success, unless it were to inform him he was looking for Jango Fett.

Suddenly, the force field was deactivated. Obi-Wan caught his fall, but as he did, he felt his wrist bend backwards. Pain shot up his left arm.

Still, for an instant he believed it might be an ill-planned rescue attempt, until some inconsiderate droid pointed a gun in front of his face. "Get up," it ordered in a mechanical monotone voice.

Obi-Wan got up slowly. Now he understood. They were taking him to die.

A guard snapped chains on his wrists, and Obi-Wan barely kept from wincing in pain. Still at gunpoint, the Jedi stepped into the transport he knew was to carry him to the arena.

The vehicle entered a large stadium. Obi-Wan was relieved to see he was the only prisoner. He only had to concentrate on saving himself.

Some flying creature chained his hands to a post high over his head. Obi-Wan took a deep breath and tried to focus. He wished he had his lightsaber. Not that he could use it very well in this position.

Three gates opened. Obi-Wan suppressed a look of surprise. He'd been told he was to face only one creature. So much for these creeps' reliability.

One was huge, a four-legged creature with a large head and a horn; not very fast, but strong. The second was a green creature with many long legs and a long neck, faster and more agile. The third was smaller, but had longer claws, and its size would make anyone else underestimate it. But not Obi-Wan. The Jedi could see all his enemies were equally deadly.

He gripped the chain with his hands. His left wrist protested terribly, but he forced himself to ignore it, to focus on the Force. The green monster reached him first. He swung around easily to the other side of the post as the creature swung a huge claw at him.

The large creature reached him as the green one swung again. He jumped, grabbing an upper part of the chain. He dangled about two inches above the creature's head.

But the green one could still reach him. It swung, and he barely dodged in time. The little one scrambled up the post and took a swing, slicing into his right arm and making him lose his grip. He fell on top of the large creature, which immediately tried to throw him. It took all his effort and concentration to remain on top of it. The green creature swung at him and he jumped off. The smaller one leapt up on his back as the large one knocked him over.

Obi-Wan struggled to remain conscious, to somehow get up, but he was losing the battle. The creatures were tearing at him. Blood stained the floor of the arena. "I'm sorry, Qui-Gon," he whispered as he lost consciousness. Anakin . . . I . . . tried."

* * *

"Lasto beth nin tolo dan na galad," an unfamiliar voice said slowly. It was both gentle and powerful at the same time. It was like an ocean, Obi-Wan realized as the Force washed over him like a gentle wave.

"Welcome back, mellon in," the voice said, and Obi-Wan could tell the greeting was accompanied by a smile even before his eyes opened. The voice belonged to a stranger, seated near his bed, for soon Obi-Wan realized that he was indeed in a bed, in a beautiful room with windows to let in the night breeze.

But even as he looked around, the Jedi's gaze was drawn back to the stranger. He was tall, with dark hair and grey eyes, and a presence that reminded Obi-Wan of Mace Windu. "Who are you?" he asked, fighting to control his voice, which seemed weaker than normal. "How did I get here? Where am I?"

"My name is Elrond," the stranger answered evenly. "You are in Rivendell. I do not know, exactly, how you came to be here. Glorfindel found you just outside of Rivendell and brought you here; you were barely alive. You have recovered well. I did not expect you to awaken for several days."

"So you were just goin' to, what, sit there for several days until he did wake up?" came a voice from the doorway.

"Hello, Peregrin," Elrond said without turning. "Have you absolutely nothing better to do?"

"Um . . . not really. Frodo went to sleep and Sam went to sleep and even Merry went to sleep. So, no, not really."

Obi-Wan sat up to better see the new arrival from behind Elrond, but he found it difficult to move. Elrond seemed to notice and motioned for the new stranger to come closer. He did so gladly, a cheerful smile on his face.

He was short, somewhere around three and a half feet, Obi-Wan guessed, with curly hair, wide eyes, and a huge grin. He had some kind of fruit in his hand. "So who are you?" he asked cheerily.

"Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan Kenobi. And you?"

"Pippin. Pippin Took."

"Pleased to meet you, Pippin."

"And you. Where're you from?"

"I . . . I just came from a place called Geonosha."

"Great. I'm from the Shire." Neither of them was about to let on that they hadn't the slightest idea what the other was talking about.

Elrond shook his head. This Hobbit would stay up all night talking, and probably wake up half of Imladris while he was at it.

But Obi-Wan was already feeling a little refreshed. "Would it be too much trouble if I asked for something to eat?"

"Of course not." Elrond rose, glad to excuse himself from the obnoxious Hobbit's presence. "I shall return shortly."

* * *

Elrond found Glorfindel down the hall, trying not to look like he was waiting for news. "How is he?"

"Awake, and will probably be kept awake for a while. Did you send Pippin in?"

"No, indeed, it was his idea. Did you find out anything?"

"I didn't get a chance to ask anything before Pippin joined us, but he mentioned a place called Geonosha."

"Interesting. Perhaps I could talk to him. You could probably use some rest."

"He asked for some food."

"Excellent. I'll find something. He didn't happen to mention what he might like."

"No, he didn't. But since he's just recovering, I wouldn't suggest a three-course Hobbit-sized feast."

"Bread and honey, an apple, and some tea?"

"Probably good."

"I'll see to it."

"And I'll see you in the morning."

* * *

". . . and then Tom took us home, and Goldberry, she was the prettiest girl I've ever seen, if pretty is even the right word, and . . ." Glorfindel listened outside the door for a moment before coming in. Obi-Wan showed no signs of preparing to interrupt the chattering Hobbit any time soon.

". . . and then we finally got to Bree - Oh, hello. Where's Elrond?"

"He's gone to bed. As you should, as well. You _do _recall that there is a council in the morning?"

"Sam and Merry and I weren't invited."

"I know. But there _are_ some good places to hide that I could show you - if you go to sleep now."

Pippin grinned. "All right, I'm goin'. Good night, Obi-Wan!" He rushed out of the room.

Glorfindel smiled. "A delightful race, Hobbits are, if they don't talk your ears off."

Obi-Wan smiled. "I'm just glad to have been on the asking end of that question."

"Ah. What question would that be?"

"I asked him what brought him here. He never really answered that."

"That's probably for the best. For now, at least. You will learn the answer soon enough."

"I didn't catch your name."

"Glorfindel."

"Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Welcome to Rivendell."

"Thank you." Obi-Wan took a bite of the apple. "It's very good."

"What happened to you, Obi-Wan?" Glorfindel could tell he was trying to go off on another subject. "You were almost dead when I found you."

So Obi-Wan described his fight in the arena, but gave no hint to the reason for his being there in the first place. Glorfindel listened intently. How could people find pleasure in watching someone fight for their life against such creatures?

"So you don't know how you got here?" he asked when Obi-Wan had finished.

"I don't have any idea. Whoever did it, though, I am grateful. I would certainly be dead if they'd have left me there."

"Amazing." There was a long silence. "Who is Qui-Gon?" Glorfindel asked at last. Obi-Wan looked surprised. "You talked in your sleep for the last few days. You mentioned his name often."

Obi-Wan nodded. "He was my teacher, and my friend. We were very, very close. He was killed ten years ago."

"I am sorry."

Obi-Wan nodded. The Elf's words were sincere. "I would've given anything, done anything, to save him. But I couldn't. I try to tell myself there was nothing I could've done, but . . ." He paused. Why was he telling this to a complete stranger? It wasn't in his nature to talk about things like this at all, even to Anakin or Yoda.

Glorfindel seemed to sense his hesitance. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have brought it up. I was just curious."

"No, it's all right. I've needed to tell someone that for a long time. I'm just surprised it happened to be you."

Glorfindel smiled. Obi-Wan lay back down, setting what little was left of his meal aside. "You mentioned something about a council tomorrow?"

"Yes, if you feel strong enough, I'll make sure you are welcome. I would say no one here needs more questions answered than you do, though maybe not all the answers to your questions will be clear. And now, if you'll excuse me, I need my rest, and I expect you do, as well."

"Just one question, if you don't mind my asking. I noticed your ears, and Elrond's. What race are you?"

"We're Elves," Glorfindel smiled. This man truly was a stranger.

"And Pippin is a . . . Hobbit, you said?"

"Yes."

"Just curious. Good night. Oh, and if you wouldn't mind putting out the lamp."

"Of course not." Glorfindel smiled as he did so. "Good night, mellon nin."


	2. Council

1Disclaimer: Star Wars is not mine. Lord of the Rings is not mine.

**Chapter Two

* * *

**

Obi-Wan awoke to the sound of voices outside his door. "He's slept this late; I don't know if we should wake him." The voice was Elrond's.

"Would you rather have to explain everything to him seperately?" came an unfamiliar voice.

"I'd rather have that than have him faint in the midst of something important."

The stranger laughed, but more fondness than humor was in his voice when he spoke. "Have a little faith, Adar. He'll survive. At worst we'll have to stop for lunch and you know that'll please the Hobbits."

"It will, indeed. Well, you may as well go in. He's already awake."

Obi-Wan opened his eyes, surprised that the Elf could tell. "Good morning," Elrond said graciously.

"Good morning," Obi-Wan replied. He turned to the new man. Though he spoke to Elrond as a son would to a father, there was little resemblance, unless it were in his eyes. He had a more rugged, weather-worn appearance, old clothes, and unkept hair.

Obi-Wan knew better, however, than to judge by this. He sat up, hesitantly moving his wounded limbs. The stranger came over to help, and soon had the Jedi on his feet. He was much gentler than he looked, and Obi-Wan could feel the Force in him.

"We should have breakfast," the stranger advised. "Despite Lord Elrond's worrying, the council will not start for a good half hour yet. Come."

"Thank you. What is your name, if I may ask?"

The stranger glanced briefly over at Elrond before answering. "Call me Strider."

"Obi-Wan Kenobi."

* * *

Strider showed him around until Obi-Wan was certain they'd be late for whatever was going on. At last they sat down to eat.

For a good part of the meal, Strider was quiet, though he didn't eat much, either. Though Obi-Wan could tell he was glad for the company, he could also see that he was more used to being on his own. He also gathered that he had arrived only days ago, with Pippin and three others of his kind.

Obi-Wan, for his part, asked very little of him, and was repaid in kind. When they were finished, Strider led him outside, to an area that almost resembled a courtyard. A ring of chairs circled around the outside, about two-thirds of the way around. Obi-Wan took a seat on the end and Strider sat down next to him.

One by one, more people came in and sat down. Obi-Wan recognized Glorfindel, but couldn't see Pippin anywhere. There were two Hobbits on the other end on either side of an older man with a staff. Elrond came in and sat down in a larger chair facing everyone. Another Elf sat close by. The whole setup reminded Obi-Wan vaguely of the Jedi Council, only larger, and with a specific leader.

Strider pointed out several different groups: Elves, Dwarves, Men, one Wizard, and the two Hobbits. He also went on to name several of them. The Elf by Elrond was Erestor. The Hobbits were Frodo and Bilbo Baggins, and the old man in between them was in fact a Wizard named Gandalf. One of the Elves was Legolas, from a place called Mirkwood. Among the Dwarves were Gloin and his son, Gimli. A man called Boromir had arrived just earlier that day from Gondor.

When all were seated, Elrond rose. He welcomed them all to Rivendell and then began a tale about a ring. Obi-Wan listened intently. Elrond would not be taking the time to tell the story, he reasoned, if it would not be important later on.

Under other circumstances, Obi-Wan may have found it hard to concentrate. But after what had happened, he was more than content to merely sit and listen to every detail.

For Elrond told it in detail. It was long before he finished, and then the Hobbit called Bilbo began. His story was no less detailed, and involved a great many riddles. It also concerned a ring, with the power to make one invisible.

Then Frodo picked up the tale, and told of his journey to Rivendell. He was much more hesitant. "No wonder," Obi-Wan thought. "He hasn't had the time to go over the details a million times in his head. These things only just happened to him." To make it harder, people were constantly interrupting, asking questions. It seemed that only Strider and Obi-Wan were silent. Finally, Frodo was allowed to sit down.

Others spoke. Legolas told of a creature who had escaped the Elves of Mirkwood, the same creature in whose cave Bilbo had found the Ring. The Dwarf called Gloin told of a messenger of Mordor, who shought word of a 'halfling' and of a particular ring. Gandalf spoke of another Wizard called Saruman, a place called Isengard, and of evil doings there.

At last, Elrond spoke. "Bring forth the Ring, Frodo." The Hobbit walked slowly up to a small table in the center of the circle and placed on it a small gold Ring.

Obi-Wan immediately felt the rush of the Dark Side of the Force, as surely as he had many times before. He instinctively stood up and reached for his lightsaber, only to find it gone and every eye in the council turned on him, surprised at the sudden move, especially from someone who had been so quiet, just sitting there, observing. Obi-Wan slowly sat down again, scolding himself for being so rash.

Boromir rose as slowly as Obi-Wan had sat down. "In a dream, I saw the Eastern sky grow dark, but in the West, a pale light lingered. A voice was crying, _"Your doom is near at hand. Isildur's Bane is found."_ Isildur's bane." He moved slowly, almost hypnotized, arm outstretched, towards the center of the room. Obi-Wan tried to move the Ring out of his reach using the Force, to give it back to Frodo, but the strength of the Dark Side in the Ring was too strong.

At last, when Boromir was only inches away from the Ring, Obi-Wan leapt out of his chair and tackled him to the ground. He doubted he would've been able to do it because of his injuries, but he caught Boromir off guard.

Even as he did so, Gandalf started to shout something in a language Obi-Wan didn't know. Obi-Wan rolled off Boromir, covering his ears, so terrible was the sound of it. But he rolled right into the table. Gandalf stopped shouting. Every eye turned as the Jedi disappeared.

He'd meant only to catch It, to keep It from Boromir's grasp, but the Ring had other plans. Obi-Wan could hear a voice in his head, speaking in the same tongue as Gandalf, but louder, terrifying.

Frodo watched, trembling, for any sign of where the stranger might be. But there was only silence, a strange stillness, for the longest time.

Suddenly, there he was again, and the Ring was bouncing across the floor, thrown away. The Jedi lay motionless, in almost the exact place where he had been. Frodo hurried to pick up the Ring and put It back on the table while Strider ran to help Obi-Wan and Boromir made his way back to his seat.

Strider slowly helped Obi-Wan up. "I'm so sorry," the Jedi was stammering. "I . . . I didn't mean to . . . I should've realized . . ." He was still trying to clear the voice from his head.

"Here, sit down." Strider helped Obi-Wan into his seat. "Just rest a while."

Boromir rose again. "It is a gift. A gift to the foes of Mordor. Why not use this Ring? Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay; by the blood of our people are your lands kept safe. Give Gondor the weapon of the Enemy! Let us use it against Him!"

"NO!" Obi-Wan shouted. Everyone stared. "No! I've seen the power of this Ring. No matter how hard you try, It can never be used for good! Its only purpose is for evil!"

Boromir turned. "And what would a stranger know of this matter?"

Once again, Obi-Wan mentally scolded himself for speaking out. This matter didn't really concern him. It was something Anakin would've done, but normally not him. But he had to answer.

Obi-Wan forced his voice back to a calm tone, tried to find the words that might calm both himself and Boromir down. "Only what I've heard today. Which, by now, is a lot. And I am now one of only three people here to have worn this Ring, though not by my own choosing. Your intentions could not be better, Boromir; I can sense that. But even you cannot turn this Ring to good. That is beyond anyone's power."

Boromir sat down again. "Well handled," Strider whispered to Obi-Wan. The Jedi breathed a sigh of relief. If not peace, this was at least a cease-fire.

"You have only one choice," Elrond said at last. "The Ring must be destroyed."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Gimli leapt up and tried to smash the Ring with his axe. The weapon shattered as the Dwarf was thrown backwards. Obi-Wan reached out his hand. Gimli never hit the ground. The Jedi set him down gently, all too aware of the eyes watching him. Even Elrond and Strider looked surprised, though not as much as everyone else.

"I don't suppose you want to teach me that?" Aragorn asked quietly as Gimli picked himself up.

Obi-Wan smiled. "Remind me when I have time."

"The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, son of Gloin, by any craft taht we here posess," Elrond explained. "The Ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom; only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasms from whence it came. One of you must do this."

Everyone knew that would be hard to do, but Boromir rose again and explained just how hard it would be. Legolas got up and yelled at him for not listening to Elrond, and Gimli got up and yelled at Legolas because he figured the Elf's sudden outburst meant he was volunteering to take the Ring. Gandalf got up and yelled at all of them, trying to get them to settle down. It was useless. Soon the whole council was in an uproar.

All this time, four people remained silent: Elrond, who by now was more or less convinced that the council would kill each other before the armies of Mordor even had a chance; Strider, who was debating whether or not to jump in and try to help Gandalf out; Frodo, who had his eyes fixed on the Ring, as if in a trance; and Obi-Wan, who was watching Frodo intently.

Suddenly, the Hobbit was out of his chair. "I will take It!" Only the other three seemed to hear him. "I will take It!" The entire council was immediately silent, with expressions mixed of surprise, disbelief, and confusion. "I will take the Ring to Mordor," Frodo repeated, letting everyone know that they hadn't heard him wrong the first time. "Though . . . I do not know the way."

"I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins," Gandalf said encouragingly, putting a hand on the Hobbit's shoulder, "for as long as it is yours to bear."

Strider stood up next. "If by my life or death I can protect you, I will. You have my sword."

"And you have my bow," Legolas said, coming over to stand by the others.

"And my axe," Gimli added.

"You carry the fate of us all, little one," Boromir said after a strange pause. "If this is indeed the will of the council, then Gondor will see it done."

Obi-Wan rose slowly, and without so much as a word came and stood beside the others. Strider nodded and he came closer.

To Obi-Wan's relief, the council's stares were soon drawn away from him, for another Hobbit popped out from behind some bushes. "There's no way Mr. Frodo's goin' anywhere without me!"

"No, indeed, it is hardly possible to separate you, even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not," Elrond pointed out. Obi-Wan could tell it was not meant only as a joke. The bond between these two was strong. From Frodo's story, he could guess this was Sam.

"We're comin', too!" shouted a voice. Obi-Wan turned and saw Pippin and another Hobbit who was probably Merry. They ran over. "Besides, you need people of intellegence on this sort of mission . . . quest . . . thing," Pippin grinned.

Obi-Wan smiled. He should've stopped after 'mission.'

"Well, that rules you out, Pip," Merry observed.

Obi-Wan suddenly realized what this meant. He would be staying. He may never get back to Geonosha. He may never get back to Anakin. He might die, and no one would ever know what had happened.

But for the moment, as Elrond looked the group over, none of that mattered. "So be it," the Elf said ceremoniously. "You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring."

"Great," Pippin said, and even though he was facing the other way, Obi-Wan could almost see his wide, playful grin. "Where're we goin'?"

* * *

**SirNotAppearingInThisFilm – **Well, obviously, he's met Aragorn. :) And Mr. Frodo. And the rest of the Fellowship. Which he is now a part of. :)

**Master Kaym – **Good, I try to write interesting stuff. :)

**xWhiteXstaRx – **Yeah, I try to post everything at the same time, mostly so I don't get confused about what I've posted and what I haven't. :)

**lil-kenobi-greenleaf – **Hmmm, will he get back? Well, not soon, if ever. :)  
Gollum: You really wouldn't keep him in Middle-Earth forever, would you?  
Smeagol: You never know. It's a dangerous place. And he doesn't have his lightsaber.  
Gollum: You rat.  
Smeagol: No, Count Dooku's the rat. _I _didn't take his lightsaber. :)

**jedi keliam kenobi – **You didn't really think I was going to have him stay in Rivendell instead of going with the Fellowship, did you:)


	3. Sword of Kings

Disclaimer: Star Wars is not mine. Lord of the Rings is not mine. :)

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Days passed, and Obi-Wan often found himself alone. He took to wandering around in the libraries. Sometimes Strider would join him, and be able to help him find something in what he referred to as the Common Tongue. Often, he would also find the same thing in other languages, and in this way, Obi-Wan, who was quick to pick up on such things, learned a good deal of Elvish.

One day, while he was reading a random book he'd happened to pick, he heard a voice speaking in the Elven tongue. He came closer, was careful not to be seen. The voice was Elrond's. He switched over to the Common Tongue. "In her heart, your mother knew you'd be hunted all your life, that you'd never escape your fate. The skill of the Elves can reforge the Sword of Kings, but only you have the power to wield it."

"I do not want that power," Strider replied, and it sounded as if they'd had this conversation before. "I have never wanted it."

"You are the last of that bloodline; there is no other."

Obi-Wan could hear Strider sigh as Elrond left. The Jedi watched quietly. Fate. Destiny. It was something that haunted his apprentice, but did not often bother Obi-Wan directly. Whatever happened happened, and more or less what happened was the will of the Force. It had been that way since Obi-Wan had dedicated himself to the Jedi Order.

But for Strider, he could tell it was different. He hadn't asked for whatever was troubling him. He didn't want it. And he was trying to run from it.

"I know you're there, Obi-Wan," Strider said at last.

Startled, Obi-Wan turned to go. "No, please stay." Strider turned. He glanced down at the book Obi-Wan had been reading. "_The Lay of Luthien Tinuviel._ A good choice." Obi-Wan came closer. "I can find it for you in the Common Tongue," Strider offered.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "Elvish is more . . . flowing, I guess is the word. It sounds better for this poem."

Strider smiled. "That it does."

Obi-Wan could feel Strider's grey eyes studying him. "I . . . I heard you and Lord Elrond talking," he admitted.

Strider nodded. "I thought you might have."

"May I ask what he meant?"

Strider looked the Jedi over for the millionth time. Normally, he wouldn't tell anyone what they had spoken of. But this man was different. Something deep inside told Strider he could be trusted. "Come with me."

Obi-Wan followed the Ranger quietly. Strider led him back to the library, to a large mural. Obi-Wan recognized it from Elrond's story at the Council: the Last Alliance of Men and Elves.

Nearby was a statue, holding the broken shards of a sword. Something clicked in Obi-Wan's mind. "The skill of the Elves can reforge the Sword of Kings."

"Yes," Strider nodded. "The sword of Elendil, used by Isildur to cut the Ring of Power from Sauron's hand. It has been kept her, waiting for the day when it will be reforged, and again wielded in battle."

"Then you are . . ."

"Yes. Isildur's heir."

"Do the others know?"

"Some. Gandalf and Legolas. Frodo may have guessed." He looked around. "Tell no one of this, Obi-Wan. Especially, do not tell Boromir. I do not know how he would respond."

"With suspicion, at first, I would expect, but sooner or later, he would accept you. But I will do as you ask."

"Thank you, Obi-Wan." He paused. "Did they tell you we depart tomorrow?"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "No. But that is wise. We shouldn't wait long. But this place _is_ wonderful; I can see why none of them wish to leave."

Strider nodded slowly. "Obi-Wan, I know I don't have to warn you of the danger. It's more than obvious that you're an experienced warrior. But Lord Elrond told me that if you go with us . . ."

"What?"

"Obi-Wan, Lord Elrond has the gift of foresight, stronger even than most Elves. If you go with us, you will probably never return to Geonosha."

Obi-Wan nodded. He'd had the same feeling himself. "I have no way of getting back, whether I go with you or not, Strider."

"That's not the only reason you're coming -- because you have nothing else to do."

Obi-Wan smiled. "No. I want to help you. A Jedi's duty is to bring peace and justice, whether it be someplace he is familiar with or not." He smiled. "That, and a little bit of my own curiosity. I've heard and read about many different places here. I'd like to see what this world is like."

Strider smiled. "You're an honest man, Obi-Wan Kenobi. But not all places in Middle-Earth are this beautiful."

"I don't doubt it. Come. If we depart tomorrow, I should like to have a good dinner and then a good night's sleep. Nothing worse than facing unknown danger hungry and tired."

Strider smiled. "Very well. But first, I'd like to find you a sword, so we're not rushed to find you one tomorrow."

Obi-Wan nodded. He'd forgotten he'd lost his lightsaber. "Lead the way."

* * *

Strider led Obi-Wan down a hall. Suddenly, though, the Jedi had a feeling they weren't alone. He turned around.

There behind him was an Elf, he face white in the setting sun against the darkness of her hair. Strider turned, and the Elf smiled. "Good to see you, Ara--"

"Strider," he corrected.

"Strider, then. And good evening to you, Obi-Wan Kenobi. My father has told me of you." She turned back to Strider. "It's true, then, that you are leaving tomorrow?"

Strider nodded. "Yes, it's true. Obi-Wan and I were on our way to find him a sword when you found us. He lost his in battle before he came here."

Obi-Wan decided not to correct him; they'd actually taken his lightsaber _after_ he'd been captured.

"Oh, don't let me delay you," the Elf apologized.

"No delay," Strider assured her. "Come with us. Obi-Wan, this is Arwen, Lord Elrond's daughter."

"I can see the resemblance."

Arwen smiled warmly. "Thank you." She noticed the book Obi-Wan was carrying. "You can read Elvish?"

"Not much. It's really just a hobby I picked up since I got here."

"Instead of finding yourself a sword," Arwen laughed.

"Let's just say I'm not in a big hurry to be fighting things again," Obi-Wan shrugged.

Strider nodded. "I know what you mean. But come. We are not going far."

He and Arwen led Obi-Wan into a huge room. The Jedi was immediately surprised. Swords lined the walls, along with bows, spears, shields, and even daggers.

Arwen smiled. "This is why he didn't want to wait until tomorrow. It's going to take you a _long_ time to find exactly what you want."

Surprisingly, it didn't take long at all. He quickly selected a sword, strong, light, easy to use, obviously of Elven design. At Strider's recommendation, he also chose a dagger. He slipped it into the clothes Elrond had given him, which were similar to Strider's. In fact, once or twice when he'd had his hood up, people had mistaken him for his friend.

Arwen nodded approvingly. "A good sword, Obi-Wan."

Strider nodded his agreement. "It has been long since it has seen use, however."

Obi-Wan smiled. "Is that an offer?"

"If you feel strong enough. But not here. Follow me."

Obi-Wan followed, smiling. Not because he felt the need to prove himself to his friend. Rather, because he was glad to have found an opponent who didn't need to prove themself to him. It would be practice, not a contest.

* * *

Strider led him out into the evening light. Arwen made an excuse to go to bed, so they were alone. The both drew their swords. Obi-Wan let Strider make the first move.

Strider decided not to go easy on him. At fist, Obi-Wan struggled a little. The sword was noticeably heavier than the lightsaber he was used to. But he adjusted quickly, letting go, allowing the Force to guide him.

He'd thought the lighting might give him an advantage. After all, using the Force, he didn't need his eyes to see. But Strider seemed to welcome the growing shadows, as the sky grew darker and darker.

It wasn't completely dark, of course. The stars and moon provided enough light to see by, but none to spare.

After only a short time, they developed a rhythm. It almost felt to Obi-Wan like a dance, not requiring all his thought. He began to relax.

But that was what Strider had been waiting for. As soon as Obi-Wan stopped paying attention, he broke the rhythm, attacking furiously, but expertly. Obi-Wan was startled, and had to move quickly to defend himself.

Obi-Wan scolded himself. He should have known better than that. But Strider didn't say anything. Better that Obi-Wan relearn the lesson now than when he was fighting Orcs. He wouldn't forget it again.

At last, they were both exhausted, and it was clear that no one was going to win. Strider smiled as he sheathed his sword. "Well done."

Obi-Wan wiped the sweat from his forehead. "You did well yourself." He hesitated. "Elrond was right."

"About what?"

"The Sword of Elendil. Only you have the power to wield it."

Strider lowered his eyes to the ground. "You can't possibly know how hard it is to have someone place all their trust, all their hopes, in you. It's . . . overwhelming, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan nodded. "My apprentice feels the same way. He's very skilled. Everyone expects a lot of him, especially the Council. I often wonder if it is wise for them to place all their hopes in someone so young, so . . . I don't know how to explain it. His skills are both a gift and a burden. He doesn't always want the responsibility that comes with them.

"And because of that responsibility, he expects too much of himself. He doesn't accept that he'll still have fears, anger, doubts, that it's a part of life, no matter who you are. He doesn't want to have to deal with them."

Strider nodded. He didn't have to tell Obi-Wan that he knew exactly what he meant. The Jedi knew. That was why he had said it. "Your apprentice, what's his name?" he asked instead.

"Anakin. Anakin Skywalker." Just saying the name, Obi-Wan realized how much he missed his apprentice. What would Anakin do, if he never came back? Would he assume he was dead? Would he be able to sense that he was not?

"Come," Strider offered, interrupting the Jedi's thoughts. "We'd best get some food, and then some rest. Dawn will come soon."

* * *

**Master of the Sith – **Oops, I'll try to update sooner next time. :)Haven't really decided yet whether to take it through all three books.That _would _give me more time to figure out how he's going to get back. :)

**Booklover Fanatic** – :) Glad you like it. :)

**Daylight – **Yeah, I figured Obi-Wan would fit in better than, say, Anakin. :)

**rkccs – **Hmmm, we'll have to see about that lightsaber. In the meantime, at least he has a sword now.

**Master Kaym – **:) Thanks. :)

**xWhitexStaRx – **Yeah! It makes sense! I'm happy. :)

**Jedi Keliam Kenobi – **You didn't really think I was just going to leave him in Rivendell, did you:)

**lil-kenobi-greenleaf – **Yes, he's in! Now the hard part will be getting them out of Rivendell. :)


	4. What is Meant to Be

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars of Lord of the Rings. :)

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Obi-Wan sighed and rolled over, frustrated. He normally had no problems falling asleep, especially when he was this tired. What made things worse was he didn't know exactly what was keeping him awake.

Certainly it wasn't the danger. He'd faced danger before, countless times. It had never bothered him for this long; it had been an hour since he had parted company with Strider and gone to bed, and he was still wide awake.

Nor was it loneliness that was troubling him. He missed Anakin, of course, and the others -- Master Yoda and Mace Windu and everyone else at the temple. But he'd accepted that, for the moment, he had no way to return, and that there was no use in dwelling on the subject.

There was a faint knock on the door of his room. "Come in," Obi-Wan called, sitting up, trying to appear as if he hadn't been attempting to sleep. He was glad for the company, whoever it was.

The door opened slowly. Obi-Wan could tell from the height that his visitor was a Hobbit, but in the darkness, he couldn't quite be sure which. "Hello?"

"Hello, Obi-Wan." It was Bilbo, the older Hobbit he'd seen at the Council. They'd passed each other in the hallways a few times since, but never spoken. What brought him here now?

"I hope I'm not disturbing you," Bilbo hesitated.

"No, not at all," Obi-Wan assured him honestly. "Please, come in. Here." He lit one of the lamps. "I was having trouble sleeping, anyway."

"I hear you're leaving tomorrow."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Word travels fast."

Bilbo smiled. "Frodo told me."

"I guessed. I've seen you two together often."

"Well, we won't see each other for a while, so I'm trying to see as much of him as I can."

"I understand. It's good for him to have someone to say good-bye to."

"You didn't have the chance to say good-bye, did you?"

"No, I didn't."

"I am sorry, terribly sorry, you were, well, thrust into this, my friend. I know how it feels to find yourself in an adventure you didn't plan on being a part of."

Obi-Wan smiled. "I have the advantage of having faced danger before."

"Yes, Glorfindel told me what happened to you. Terrible."

"He probably exaggerated," Obi-Wan shrugged. He didn't like people feeling sorry for him, especially when they had enough to worry about themselves.

"I don't think so; I saw how badly you were hurt when you first arrived. But that's not why I came here."

"What is?"

"I'm . . . curious, about you, about what happened at the council."

"Right before we leave, you decide to be curious," Obi-Wan laughed. "What about the Council?"

"There's something . . . some kind of power, about you. When you had the Ring on, I could almost tell that you were fighting It, resisting It's power. Having worn it myself, I could feel that kind of thing from it. And then after you took It off, you were completely convinced of Its evil; no one had to say anything to you about not being able to use its power for good. And what happened with Gimli, that was amazing!"

Obi-Wan smiled. Finally, a question he could answer.

He spent the next hour talking with Bilbo about the Force and about the Jedi Order. The old Hobbit was very receptive, taking in everything he said. At last, Bilbo grew tired. But before he left, he had one more question.

"Obi-Wan?" he asked. "Will you . . . will you keep an eye on the others? Frodo and Sam and Merry and Pippin? They have . . . . they have no idea of what kind of danger they're going to face. I have a feeling they'll see even more than what I saw on my travels. Just . . . try to take care of them, please?"

"Of course," Obi-Wan nodded.

Bilbo smiled and left, but turned in time to see Obi-Wan wave his hand and the light in the lamp go out.

* * *

The sky was full of stars, and the sun was only just beginning to show on the horizon, when Frodo woke with a start, shaking, breathing hard. He sat up, terrified, and looked around. No one was there. He heard no sounds, no sign that anyone was awake in all of Rivendell.

Frodo slowly got out of bed and crossed the room. He wanted to talk to Gandalf, or Bilbo, but he didn't want to wake either of them. At last, he took a deep breath of night air and headed out into the gardens.

The stars were bright, as they always seemed to be in Imladris, and the breeze was peaceful. Frodo suddenly realized how much he was leaving -- not only Bilbo and Elrond, but the peace and contentment he had found here. He was venturing out into the unknown, leaving behind everything.

Not everything, he reminded himself. He still had Sam, and Merry and Pippin. Gandalf, as well. The Wizard's presence was always comforting. Strider he had become used to, as well. Sam still didn't trust him completely, but that would change, Frodo guessed, now that Gandalf was with them once again.

Frodo smiled, glad to be surrounded by the trees and the flowers. Suddenly, he noticed a figure in the distance, facing away from him, standing still, just looking out at the first hints of the sunrise. As he came closer, he realized it was Obi-Wan. "Hello, Frodo," the Jedi said without turning.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you. I just . . . I don't know why . . ."

"It's all right, Frodo." Obi-Wan turned and looked down at the Hobbit. "I'm glad for the company."

Frodo looked up. "Something's troubling you."

"A dream. There was fire everywhere, and . . . and smoke. I couldn't breathe. There was a voice, from the fire, calling. I tried not to listen, but . . . I don't know what it was. It was nothing like I've ever felt before. It was complete helplessness, and it was worse than before I came here, when I thought I was going to die. This was different, but I can't explain it." He sighed. "That's why I came out here. I wanted to know what it meant, but I don't think I'm going to get any answers."

Frodo shook his head. "I don't know what it means, either, Obi-Wan. Perhaps if you spoke with Gandalf, or Elrond . . ."

"No. I don't want to trouble them with this. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's been having dreams that were, well, less than pleasant."

Frodo nodded. "Yes, that's true. Thank you, Obi-Wan."

The Jedi looked confused. "For what?"

"I was beginning to think I was the only one having doubts, asking questions and not receiving answers. No one else has told me what they're feeling about this."

Obi-Wan nodded. "They're probably all afraid they're the only one who feels as you do."

There was a long silence. At last, Frodo spoke.

"Obi-Wan?"

"Yes?"

"I'd like to thank you, for volunteering to come with us. I realize this . . . this isn't your problem. This isn't your world."

"No, it isn't. But my being here was no mistake. Nothing happens by accident."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing. Especially not concerning something as important as this. Did you notice how when everyone came forward at the Council, no one said, 'Oh, I don't know,' or, 'I don't think they're the right choice'? Even Merry and Pippin."

"Lord Elrond seemed as if he wanted to say something about them."

"But he didn't. Because it was _right_, and he could feel it. They were _meant_ to be a part of this. And Legolas and Gimli, too. Any other Elf, any other Dwarf, could have volunteered. But they _didn't_. What happened was what was meant to happen. I was _meant_ to be here. I was meant to help you, Frodo."

"You're about to say I was _meant_ to be the Ringbearer."

Obi-Wan smiled kindly. "Yes, Frodo, I believe you were. You may not see a reason now, but there is one. There's always a reason . . ." He trailed off, thinking. There had been a reason no one had received his message, a reason his fight had been three-to-one, a reason he had been brought here, of all places.

He just wished he knew what it was.

* * *

"The Ringbearer is setting out on a Quest for Mount Doom," Elrond said ceremoniously, as if there was someone present who didn't already know that. "On you who go with him no oath nor bond is laid to go further than you will."

Obi-Wan smiled. That was at least partially comforting, in a strange way, as it was meant to be. But where else did he have to go, except for with Frodo? What else could he do?

Suddenly, Obi-Wan felt Elrond's eyes directly on him. The Elf looked very serious, almost sad. What was he trying to say, Obi-Wan wondered. Was he worried that the fate of all of Middle-Earth now lay with ten seemingly randomly chosen people? Was he worried about Frodo, and the burden he carried? Was he worried about Strider, still troubled by his destiny? Or was there something else? Obi-Wan shivered.

But when Elrond spoke, his voice was even, controlled, his eyes on the whole group once more. "Farewell. Hold to your purpose, and may the blessings of Elves and Men and all free folk go with you."

Obi-Wan took a deep breath. This was it. Somehow, he knew, if he took one step following these people out of Imladris, there was no turning back. He felt his sword, secure at his side. He knew his dagger lay hidden under a cloak Elrond had provided. He was as ready, as prepared, as he could be. But would it be enough?

"The Fellowship awaits the Ringbearer," Gandalf said. Obi-Wan smiled, and even as Frodo led them out, it was more than obvious who was the leader of the Fellowship. He took one step, then another.

"Mordor, Gandalf, is it left or right?" he heard Frodo whisper frantically.

"Left," Gandalf instructed reassuringly.

Obi-Wan noticed Strider lingering at the back. He turned around, waiting. With one last look at Arwen, Elrond, and Imladris, Strider turned to join the rest of the Fellowship.

Obi-Wan smiled, and walked in back with the Ranger. "Do you think we'll ever see it again?" Strider asked.

Obi-Wan smiled. Strider truly understood the danger they were about to face, and he was asking _him_? The Jedi searched his feelings, his deepest thoughts. Would they make it back alive? Would they see Bilbo, Elrond, and Imladris again?

At last, he found himself unable to lie to his friend. "I don't know, Strider," he answered honestly, and he could tell by the look on the Ranger's face that he had been thinking the exact same thing. "I really don't know."

* * *

**Booklover Fanatic** -- Well, the reason I'm not doing anything about the other Star Wars people is I get frustrated when I have to work with two storylines at once, even more so when they have nothing to do with each other. So, yes, provided Obi-Wan even makes it back, I'll make sure he's completely filled in on what happened while he was gone.

**SNAITF -- **Hmmm, yes, I've thought about the Balrog, and I have no idea yet how that's going to work out; it took me four chapters to even get the Fellowship together and out of Rivendell, so I have plenty of time. :)

**Master Kaym **-- Yes, a lightsaber would be handy, but it would also tip the scales a little in their favor and I don't like writing about people who have scales tipped in their favor because it's not as interesting as writing about the underdogs. :)

**The Dancing Cavalier **-- Hmmmm, everyone seems to be hoping Obi-Wan gets back. :) But since I'm nowhere near the end of the story, I don't have to worry about that right now.

**Nyoko **-- :) I try to write interesting stuff. :) Doesn't always work, but I try. :)

**MicroChips -- **Glad you like it. :)

**Night of the Land **-- Will he get back? I don't even know how he got there, much less how or if he is going to get back. :) Right now, I'm just working on getting the Fellowship moving and out of Rivendell.

**CrazyCanadianLlama -- **I like your new name. :) Do llamas live in Canada? Besides in zoos, that is. :)

**Satra** -- Hmmm, I don't know what the elves would have thought. Which is probably why I didn't do it. :)

**sabertwins29 **-- :) Well, you see, I have this problem with updating regularly because I'm trying to write half a million stories at once, but I'm kind of getting better now that some of my other ones have ended. This one, on the other hand, is going to be pretty long unless I get frustrated and teleport Obi-Wan out of there as soon as they reach Khazad-Dum, which isn't going to happen because I try not to get that frustrated. :)


	5. The Fellowship of the Ring

Disclaimer: Lord of the Rings is not mine. Star Wars is not mine.

A/N: Sorry this chapter is so late, y'all. I thought I'd posted it and then went to post something else and saw that I hadn't. Oops.

* * *

**Chapter Five**

The Fellowship journeyed in silence for the remainder of the morning, and stopped only briefly for lunch at midday. All that could be seen were hills and grass for miles and miles in front of them. By the time they set out again after lunch, Obi-Wan could tell his mind was starting to wander. He came from a world of speeders and ships and fast-moving machines. How many times had he wished he could slow things down? Yet now when everything seemed to blend together, one mile looking exactly like the last, he found himself wishing something, anything, would happen.

Yet few of the others seemed to feel the same way. Legolas was tireless, always at the front with Gandalf, who presented the perfect image of a leader, not willing to show any boredom that may have existed for him. Strider, as well, seemed more at home now that they were out in the wild. Boromir and Gimli weren't about to complain, and Frodo seemed lost in thought.

Only the younger Hobbits -- Sam, Merry, and Pippin -- showed any signs of restlessness. Merry and Pippin had been excited at first, looking around for anything to do, but were now trailing behind Frodo and Sam, resigned to the fact that the hills and grass were not likely to provide any entertainment. Sam kept looking off towards the East, as if at any moment Mount Doom would come into view, and the end of their journey would be in sight.

Obi-Wan had, of course, studied maps of this area in Rivendell. He knew they were likely to continue like this for weeks, until they reached the mountains. What he hadn't counted on was it being this quiet. No one in the entire Fellowship seemed to want to talk, so they walked along in silence.

At last, he could bear it no longer. He quickened his pace to catch up to Boromir. "So tell me about Gondor."

Boromir looked startled, and everyone else turned, as well. For a moment, Obi-Wan felt very foolish, and looked around for a nearby boulder to hide behind, but found none. Nine pairs of eyes rested on the Jedi.

But Boromir smiled. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything," Obi-Wan answered, for lack of having a specific question.

Boromir laughed, a long hearty laugh. Obi-Wan relaxed as they resumed walking, and eyes were removed from him. Boromir launched first into a retelling of what he'd said at the Council, and then into various stories of the history of Gondor, of the Stewards, of more recent battles against the armies of Mordor. Obi-Wan listened attentively, taking in everything. Slowly, the other members of the Fellowship began to join in the conversation, at first only asking questions, but soon with stories of their own, of Mirkwood, Erebor, and the Shire. Gandalf seemed to know something about everything, ready to fill in details that others had overlooked. Even Strider seemed to be enjoying himself, and, though, like Obi-Wan, he told no stories of his own, was quite interested in what everyone else had to say.

They continued in this manner until nightfall, when they stopped for supper, for which they were now all very grateful, having worked up quite an appetite from all their story-telling.

By the time they lay down to rest, they were all exhausted, but more or less content.

Boromir volunteered to take the first watch. Obi-Wan lay down, but felt something sticking into his back. He sat up, lifted the rock into his hand using the Force, and threw it off into the distance.

Boromir looked at him curiously. "The Hobbits would love to see you do that."

"What?"

"What you did with that rock. It just . . . flew into your hand."

Obi-Wan smiled. He'd done it without thinking, and had forgotten that people here weren't used to seeing things like that every day. "I'll have to show them some time."

"Believe me, that would keep them entertained all the way to Mordor. Merry and Pippin, at least, and probably Sam and Frodo, as well."

Obi-Wan nodded, and there was a long silence. "Thank you," he said at last. "I just thought we could use a little conversation; I didn't mean to put you on the spot."

"I thought you'd have been used to people staring at you by now," Boromir pointed out. "You surprised everyone at Council."

"That was different; it was something I had to do."

"You didn't have to catch It." There was only a hint of hostility in the Gondorian's voice, but Obi-Wan noticed it.

"I had no intention of doing so."

"So you're saying this . . . thing . . . has a will of Its own?"

"Yes; if I heard Lord Elrond correctly, it is a part of Sauron, and Sauron is a part of it."

Boromir shook his head slowly. "So much power, in such a little thing." His gaze strayed to Frodo, but he caught himself and turned back to Obi-Wan. "What was it like?"

"It was . . ." He paused, unsure how to answer. "It was like looking into the face of Evil, and being unable to turn away or to close my eyes. It was like hearing the voice of Death, and being unable to shut out the sound. I couldn't see anything, hear anything, except Him." He shuddered at the thought, but met Boromir's gaze. "It's pure Evil, Boromir. And it is powerful."

"But with that power --"

"Yes, with that power, you would be able to save your City, for a time. But after the Orcs are gone? After Sauron has met defeat at your hand and the evil of Mordor is no more, what then? Do you really think you would be able to cast away that power so easily? No, you would want to keep It, and It would eat away at you, until you were even as the Dark Lord himself. No, Boromir, Evil cannot be used for good."

"But we must defend ourselves somehow!"

"Then defend yourselves with hope! Hope that the Quest will succeed, that Minas Tirith will be able to hold out against the forces of the Enemy!

"The time of your people is at hand, Boromir. Everything I have seen and heard since my arrival points to one ending: the Age of Men is near. The Elves are sailing over the Sea, or take refuge in what few havens are left to them. The Dwarves stay in their mountains. But your City has been the one to rise up and fight the Evil that is coming. You can be sure, Boromir, that your people will continue to do so even in your absence.

"I know you wish to return to Gondor, to defend your homeland. You feel that is your duty. In that we are alike. But now we have another duty, to this Quest."

"I am the son of the Steward of Gondor! The safety of the City is my responsibility!"

"And I am a Jedi Knight. We are entrusted with keeping the peace in our galaxy. But I'm not _in_ our galaxy, and I arrived here to find a war about to begin. So much for keeping the peace!"

There was an awkward silence. Boromir looked around. "They sleep soundly, don't they?"

Obi-Wan smiled. "I'd better get some sleep, as well. I've got the last watch before morning."

Boromir shrugged. "You volunteered for it."

Obi-Wan lay down. "I know. I like the sunrise. Good night, Boromir."

"Good night, Obi-Wan."

* * *

The hours passed silently, without trouble. Boromir was relieved by Gimli, and Gimli by a rather sleepy Pippin. Then, in the middle of Pippin's watch, the silence was broken by Obi-Wan, who suddenly began thrashing out at the darkness in his sleep. "Anakin!" he yelled. "No! Anakin!" His eyes flew open, as did the eyes of most of the Fellowship. 

Obi-Wan sat up, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "I'm . . . I'm all right. It was . . . just a dream." But he sounded as if he was trying to convince himself more than the others.

Pippin came over. "Are you sure you're all right? They probably heard that back in Rivendell."

That only made Obi-Wan feel worse. Only one day into the journey, he'd now made a fool of himself twice, in front of the whole Fellowship. Well, not the _whole_ Fellowship, he reminded himself. Sam, Merry, and Gimli were still sleeping soundly, and Gandalf, Frodo, Strider, and Legolas had already had the courtesy to at least pretend to go back to sleep.

Pippin yawned. "Go to sleep," Obi-Wan offered. "I'll take your watch; I'm awake now, anyways."

The Hobbit grinned. "Thanks, Obi-Wan." He immediately found a place to lie down and was soon snoring softly.

That left only Boromir awake. Slowly, the Gondorian sat up, not a trace of sleep left in his eyes. "It's all right," Obi-Wan assured him. "I won't fall asleep. I'm sorry I woke you."

"No, I'm . . . grateful . . . that you did," Boromir admitted,looking around. By now, the others were asleep. Still, he hesitated to explain further.

"It's all right; you don't have to tell me."

"Then . . . may I ask you a question?"

"Just don't ask me if I want to go back to Rivendell because of one dream. I don't."

Boromir actually smiled. "If each of us turned back as soon as dreams began to haunt him, you would at least have me to accompany you tonight, and, I suspect, some of the others, as well, though some of them certainly won't admit it."

"I didn't have the choice to admit it or not."

"You're afraid of appearing weak, is that it?"

"I don't want them to worry about me. They have enough on their minds, all of them."

"Yes. Each of us here has something he doesn't dare share for fear of burdening the others. That's the way it is in war."

Obi-Wan nodded. Boromir was a soldier, through and through. It had taken a great amount of courage for him to admit even to one person that he, too, was troubled by his dreams. Obi-Wan often sensed the same thing from his apprentice, that he felt he had to handle things like this alone. Only recently had Anakin admitted to him that he had been having troubling dreams about his mother. "Dreams pass in time," Obi-Wan had told him. Now he wondered, had that been the right thing to say?

Obi-Wan shook himself from his thoughts. "You wanted to ask me something?"

"Yes; just before you woke up, you called out to someone named Anakin."

Obi-Wan nodded. "My apprentice, and my friend. He wasn't with me when . . . when I was brought here. I tried to send him a message, but he never received it. I just . . . I wish I knew where he was, if he's all right. I told him to stay on Naboo, but he didn't. He could be anywhere by now, especially if he's looking for me, which he will, sooner or later, with or without the approval of the Jedi Council."

Boromir nodded slowly. "I do know something of what you must be feeling, Obi-Wan. In choosing to leave Gondor, I also left my younger brother, Faramir." He smiled at the thought of his brother. "Don't get me wrong; I trust him. He's a capable leader, and a brave warrior when the need arises. But our father, Denethor, he thinks less of him. Even if Faramir were perfect, he would still find some cause to criticize him, to blame him. He's under a lot of pressure, and it's only going to get worse as the Orcs multiply."

"That's what's troubling you, then. That's what your dream was, that he's in trouble."

"Yes. Please, don't tell the others. I don't want to--"

"Appear weak," Obi-Wan finished. "Don't worry, Boromir; dreams are safe with me."

"Strange, it was a dream which led me here in the first place."

"Yes, you said that at Council." But even then, it had struck Obi-Wan as odd. Dreams were, obviously, not uncommon, but dreams of this nature were rare, and not something he would have expected from Boromir.

Boromir smiled. "Of course, I can't take all the credit for that. The dream came to me only once, but I don't even want to try to guess how many times Faramir had it." He laughed. "Maybe the only reason it came to me was so that our father would finally pay attention to it." There was a long silence.

At last, Boromir broke it. "I know Pippin's grateful for you taking his watch. He didn't mean what he said about them hearing you back in Rivendell."

"I know. He was tired."

Boromir nodded. "Well, if you don't mind, I'll join him."

"Of course. Good night."

"Good night."

Soon, Boromir was asleep, and Obi-Wan alone was awake in the darkness, looking out to the East, waiting for the dawn.

* * *

**Ally 127 – **They do seem to get along quite well, don't they. :) 

**ketw – **:) How mature would you act if you'd just been thrown into Middle-Earth:) If you're referring to the swordfight with Aragorn, I figured it was okay to put that in because Merry and Pippin fight Boromir, so one between Obi-Wan and Aragorn would be fun. :)

**Booklover Fanatic – **Hopefully you won't have to wait as long this time. :)

**Christina B – **Well, I'm glad you like Obi-Wan, because he's not going away. :)

**Crazy Canadian Llama – **Yeah, I figured I should put Bilbo in there because I'd already gone ahead and put him in at council, so I had to do something with him.

**SNAITF – **:) Everyone seems to like Bilbo. :) He's such a likable old Hobbit.

**Satra – **Come to think of it, they do have a lot in common. Obi-Wan doesn't like politicians and Aragorn doesn't want to be king. :)

**MeguimiFuu – **Yeah, after Anakin, Frodo must be quite a relief. :)

**Lunatic Pandora 1 – **Hmmm, haven't really thought that far ahead yet. About Obi-Wan training Aragorn, that is. Not a bad idea. :)

**Freakazoid – **:) Glad you like it.

**Herendil – **:) No, they didn't rush out of Imladris and they really don't seem to be rushing much of anywhere. I've got a bit of time to kill before they get to Caradhras. They never really say what the Fellowship does all the way there. I mean, all they do is walk and walk and walk and walk . . .

**The Dancing Cavalier – **Hmmm, force fields. I'll have to remember that when he finally fights something besides Aragorn.

**Night of the Land –** Oops. Like I said, I thought I'd updated this, but apparently I hadn't. That's what I get for trying to write too many stories at once. :)

**xWhit3StaRx – **Wow, did I actually not end a chapter with an evil cliffhanger:) Well, I couldn't really help that, considering they have a while before I can throw in anything really dangerous. But once they get to Khazad-dum . . .


	6. Ripples on the Water

Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings or Star Wars. :)

* * *

**Chapter Six**

The sky was still dark, and the first rays of dawn were only just starting to show, when some of the others began to stir. Legolas was first, followed by Gandalf and then Strider. The others still slept soundly.

"We should wake them," Strider suggested. "We'll need to eat breakfast quickly and then set out.

Gandalf nodded, giving Frodo a small shake. The Ringbearer rolled over and opened his eyes. "Morning already?"

"Not quite," Legolas answered, shaking Gimli. "But by the time we get this Dwarf up, it will be."

Obi-Wan smiled as the rest of the Fellowship was woken up. Still, Gimli lay there, snoring, oblivious to Legolas' shaking. Obi-Wan held out his hand and focused. Slowly, the sleeping Dwarf was lifted into the air.

"Wow!" Pippin shouted. Merry's expression echoed his astonishment. The others turned as Gimli's eyes blinked open.

"Wh-where-what-help!" Gimli shouted. He was only about two feet in the air, but waking up and finding nothing underneath oneself is quite an upsetting experience.

Obi-Wan immediately lowered the Dwarf, who leapt to his feet, reaching for his axe. Obi-Wan took a step backwards. "It's all right. I was just waking you up."

"Fine way to wake someone up, by lifting them off the ground using nothing at all!" Gimli's expression was murderous beneath the cover of his beard, and Obi-Wan realized he had probably made a mistake by upsetting the Dwarf so early in the morning.

Gandalf put a hand on Gimli's shoulder to stop him from going after the Jedi. "Now, come, my good Gimli, no harm has been done. And breakfast is ready."

Grumbling, Gimli put down his axe and sat down, his eyes still following Obi-Wan's every move. Legolas smiled, which upset the Dwarf even more, and Merry and Pippin weren't even bothering to hide their laughter.

The two younger Hobbits sat down next to Obi-Wan. "How did you do that?" Merry asked through laughs.

Obi-Wan decided to spare them a lecture on the Force. "It's something I learned back where I came from."

Pippin looked up from his breakfast. "Could you teach us?"

Obi-Wan swallowed his bite of food. He hadn't expected that. "Yeah," Merry echoed. "Can you teach us?" The whole Fellowship was now gathered around Obi-Wan. Even Gimli seemed vaguely interested, though he was determined not to show it.

"Well . . ." Obi-Wan started. One apprentice was hard enough, but nine? People typically started learning to use the Force at an extremely young age; even Anakin had been considered too old by most of the Jedi Council. Chances were he wouldn't get anywhere with them, and they would become frustrated and give it up, anyway. "It's not easy," he said at last. "But if you want me to, I can try."

"Wonderful," Gimli grumbled. "Then all the rest of this Fellowship will be waking me up rudely every morning." He let out a 'hrumph' and returned to his food.

"It's all right," Boromir assured Obi-Wan, sitting down beside Pippin. "He'll come around. It's just early."

Gandalf nodded. "Go on, Obi-Wan."

So all through breakfast, Obi-Wan was kept busy attempting to explain to them in various ways how to use the Force. He'd expected to find himself quickly frustrated with the group, but instead he was enjoying himself, letting himself feel their excitement about trying something so new. Even though they didn't appear to be making much, if any, progress, it was fun.

Of the Hobbits, Pippin seemed to show the most promise. He was younger, more open-minded, than the rest of the Fellowship. But Obi-Wan knew he didn't have the right concentration, and was the most frustrated by the focus involved.

Merry, Sam, and Frodo were more focused, but they were also more cautious, more guarded. They were curious, but that curiosity only went so far, so deep. For the most part, they were content to let Obi-Wan show them everything.

Legolas watched the Hobbits' attempts with amusement, but didn't really seem all that interested in learning to lift pebbles or blades of grass. Obi-Wan let it go. He strongly suspected the Elf already had a connection of some sorts with the Force. He was always ready, alert, attentive to what was going on.

Gimli avoided the idea, and Obi-Wan, completely, every so often muttering something about being grateful he had his helmet on in case a stone flew out of control.

But none did. In fact, only Obi-Wan's flew much of anywhere. Obi-Wan wasn't upset, or even surprised, when the pebbles and grass, for the most part, stayed firmly on the ground all through breakfast.

If Obi-Wan was surprised with anything, it was Boromir's interest. The Gondorian had almost no skill, he could tell immediately, but he was persistent. Only a couple times did his gaze stray from the blade of grass he was focusing on, yet the only thing that moved it was the wind.

Equally surprising to Obi-Wan was Strider, but in a much different way. Obi-Wan could feel the Force flowing strongly through him, but he didn't seem to be able to do anything _with_ it. He had the potential, to be sure, but over the course of breakfast, his pebble moved less than Boromir's grass, as the wind wasn't strong enough to blow it anywhere.

Gandalf didn't say so much as a word, to Obi-Wan or any of the others. He simply watched, neither interested or bored, until it was time to set off.

By the time they started out, the sun was over the top of the hills. Obi-Wan could feel the Wizard's eyes on him, but could read nothing of his mood. Had breakfast taken too long? Was he angry? Obi-Wan didn't think so -- at least, he wasn't as angry as he had been at Boromir at the Council. But still . . .

When they started walking, half the Fellowship -- Pippin, Merry, Boromir, Strider, and Obi-Wan -- had several small pebbles in their pockets and at least one in their hand. Obi-Wan had several dozen, but they didn't spend much time in his hand. Instead, while they were walking, he found himself entertaining the Hobbits by manipulating them into different shapes.

The requests seemed endless. Could he do a tree? A horse? A bird? A mountain? Two swords fighting? A rabbit? A dog? A ship?

This last request brought a bit of confusion when Obi-Wan proceeded to make a perfectly good spaceship. Frodo, whose request it had been, only barely stifled a laugh. Merry and Pippin didn't bother to try.

Obi-Wan, of course, had no idea what was wrong with it. At last, Gandalf was forced to intervene, and, lighting up his pipe, blew an excellent ship. Obi-Wan stared for a moment, and then rearranged his pebbles to match the image. Gandalf nodded approvingly. "You are from a different world, Obi-Wan."

"I seem to be constantly reminded of that," Obi-Wan sighed, striding ahead until he was alongside the Wizard, leaving the ship to the others, still controlling it, but not really paying it much attention. "Ships that travel on water and are moved by the air," he mused. "Very interesting."

"Your pebble-tricks seem rather impressive to them."

Obi-Wan laughed. "So do your smoke-figures."

"But that is not the extent of your powers."

"Nor yours."

"Indeed. This Force you speak of, what else is it capable of?"

"Many things, depending upon the skill of the one who is working with it."

Gandalf nodded. "A safe answer."

"What would you have me tell you?"

The Wizard looked back. The others were a ways behind. "Very well; I shall be plain. The power of the One Ring is very great, Obi-Wan, as you know well by now. Could you somehow help Frodo resist its power, the temptation to use it? Is that possible?"

Obi-Wan looked startled for a moment. Of course, he should have expected it, he realized, that someone would think of a better use for his powers than amusing the Hobbits with pebbles. And who else to suggest it but Gandalf, who seemed to be known more for his fireworks and his smoke-rings than for his greater deeds.

"There is only so much I can do," Obi-Wan said at last. "The strength of the Dark Side of the Force in the Rings is very strong. I am not sure how much I can do to counter it. But, if you wish, I will do my best."

Gandalf nodded, and Obi-Wan realized for the first time just how much the Wizard cared for the Hobbits. His attitude towards them, his interaction with them, reminded the Jedi vaguely of Master Yoda watching a group of younglings. "Thank you, Obi-Wan," the Wizard smiled.

Suddenly, there was a yell of, "Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Obi-Wan whirled around. While Gandalf had been talking, he had neglected his pebbles, which, after for some reason hanging suspended in the air, moved over the head of the grumbling Dwarf and dropped.

Obi-Wan shot a look at Legolas, who was grinning. The Elf was undoubtedly responsible for the pebbles' brief suspension; none of the others were capable of it. Obi-Wan had a distinct feeling the Elf was about to admit it, but he held up his hands, facing Gimli, but the gesture meant for the Elf. "My apologies, Gimli. I was finding it difficult to listen to Gandalf while concentrating on the pebbles, so I must have lost my control over them." Gracious though his words were, the Dwarf growled, and, picking several of the smaller pebbles out of his helmet, proceeded to throw them at Obi-Wan, who caught them easily, much to Gimli's annoyance. Obi-Wan then concentrated on the pebbles now scattered over the ground, and they all flew at once to his waiting hand.

Gimli's face was so read that for a moment Obi-Wan wished Legolas would confess, but there was no point in widening the gap between the Elf and the Dwarf, if such a thing were indeed possible. Already it was obvious that they were as different as night and day, and that didn't seem about to change. "I _am_ terribly sorry," he told the Dwarf once more, after whirling around to catch a larger stone aimed at his back.

"Just keep your flying rocks and your tricks away from me," Gimli warned.

Obi-Wan nodded. "As you wish." He was used to having to try to be polite. He did it all the time around senators and other politicians. It never got easier.

* * *

By the time they stopped, Obi-Wan was ready to fall asleep right then and there. But Frodo had the first watch, and Obi-Wan had something he wanted to try.

Soon after dinner, the others were asleep. Obi-Wan made his way over to Frodo, who looked up as the Jedi sat down next to him. "You shouldn't have covered for Legolas," the Hobbit said. "Gimli was already mad at you."

Obi-Wan smiled. "So you could tell it was him?"

"Who else would it have been? You'd already made Gimli mad, but not on purpose, and those stones hovered for a little while over his head. It wasn't an accident. I wouldn't put it past Merry and Pippin except that they don't have the skill yet."

"He'll get over it," Obi-Wan shrugged.

"I'm not so sure. Dwarves and Elves never really got over their disagreements. Why would it be different with a Dwarf and a Jedi?"

"Dwarves and Elves were not forced to live side by side. Whether Gimli likes it or not, we are part of one Fellowship. Sooner or later, he will realize that." He paused, considering how best to word what he had to say. At last, he decided to just say it. "Frodo, Gandalf thinks I may be able to help you resist the Ring's power."

Frodo studied Obi-Wan closely. "And what do you think?"

"I think that anything that might be able to help you is worth a try. Certainly it won't hurt anything. I'm just going to help you try to relax, to block out the Ring, to ignore It. It might not work, but it will not harm you in any way."

Frodo nodded. "All right. What do you need me to do?"

"Find a comfortable position," Obi-Wan said. "And try to relax." Frodo hesitated a moment, then lay down, his head turned slightly to one side, his arms at his sides. "Good," the Jedi nodded. "Now close your eyes."

Frodo did. Obi-Wan started to continue, but then realized that the Hobbit was already asleep. Just like that.

Obi-Wan smiled, and decided not to wake him. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and gazed into the darkness. A soft breeze rustled the grass, mixed with the easy breathing of the rest of the Fellowship. There was only one word to describe what he was feeling.

Peace.

* * *

**Night of the Land -- **:) Well, I updated. I really am trying to update as soon as I can, but now school's started again and I've got homework and our English teacher already assigned an essay, so it may take a little while. :) I'll try.

**Satra --** :) Everyone seems to hate having to wait for chapters; I can't imagine why. :P Just kidding. I really do try.

**SNAITF -- **Well, I don't think anyone thrown into a place this crazy and this kind of danger _wouldn't_ have nightmares. :) I know I would; I admit it. Hmmm, what _is_ happening with Anakin:)

**The Dancing Cavalier --** :) Yeah, I'll eventually get around to Legolas, especially now that Obi-Wan has done him a favor by taking responsibility for some certain pebbles. :) I'll get to it.

**Lunatic Pandora1 --** Hmmm, Aragorn turning to the Dark Side. Not likely to happen, but it would be funny. :)

**Herendil --** :) Glad you like it. I'm not sure why Obi-Wan fits in so well; he just does. That's why I chose him and not Luke or Padme or somebody. They just wouldn't work. :)

**ally127 --**Well, eventually I will be forced to change the plot just to keep myself from the eternal fate of looking up where and when things are supposed to happen. Changes will probably start to happen once they finally reach Khazad-Dum, basically when they start fighting. :)

**xWhit3StaRx -- **Two times in a row; can you believe it:) It's hard to do a cliffie when nothing suspenseful is really happening.

**CrazyCanadianLlama --** Well, as I've told other people, I am really trying to update, but school's started, so I have time to write, but not always to type everything out and actually get on the computer and post it. I'll probably have more time once the cross-country season is over, because I don't do any winter sports. :) So, near the end of October I should be updating more. :) Of course, by then, teachers will be giving more homework. You just can't win, can you:)


	7. The Right Track

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or Lord of the Rings.

**Chapter Seven**

Days passed slowly, and Obi-Wan even found himself wondering if they were going in circles. His legs had grown used to being sore, and his eyes had grown used to the sight of only grass and hills, with an occasional tree. They were now a fortnight out of Rivendell. They had eaten breakfast quickly and set out. It was now nearly midday.

Obi-Wan had added more pebbles to his collection, and was now holding them in the shape of a horse. "Okay, Merry, Pippin, the eyes," he coached. Two pebbles, darker than the others, floated slowly over and joined the horse's face.

Obi-Wan watched in delight. The Hobbits had to concentrate hard; both were sweating, their eyes narrowed, their foreheads tightened with effort, their outstretched hands tense. But they were doing it! Their pebbles floated alongside Obi-Wan's, held aloft solely by the Hobbits' use of the Force.

Boromir and Strider each bent down and picked a blade of grass as they walked. Boromir held his out in one hand, lifting it with the other, slowly, until it was about an inch above his hand. He concentrated hard, trying to move it over to the horse to serve as half the mouth, but it simply stayed where it was.

Obi-Wan nodded. It was as far as he'd ever gotten; he simply did not have the right skill. But he was persistent, and tried as hard as either of the Hobbits, and was frustrated by now by his grass' lack of movement.

"It's all right, Boromir," Obi-Wan assured him as the grass fell back into his palm. He was actually doing quite well for not being as skilled as the others. Frodo and Sam had already given up for the same reason; he had to wonder how long Boromir would keep at it.

Merry had surprised him, and was now doing as well as Pippin. Both were wonderful to work with, eager, excited, and proud of every new accomplishment. Obi-Wan smiled. He'd hardly gone through this stage with Anakin; the boy had learned so quickly. Now he was savoring it all, praising every inch a pebble flew.

It was annoying Gimli, of course, who couldn't see "why someone would want to float a pebble around when they could just pick it up and throw it." Legolas, of course, had been quick to disagree, saying you could control your aim more using the Force, be more accurate, and that it might help you in situations where it would be impossible to act physically. The Elf had also begun to help Obi-Wan out with his teaching, and now floated Boromir's blade of grass over to the horse.

"Strider?" Obi-Wan asked. The Ranger had had trouble at the beginning, for a reason Obi-Wan hadn't been able to figure out. But a few nights past, he had stayed awake while Obi-Wan guided Frodo through a relaxation exercise. About halfway through, Obi-Wan had noticed the Ranger following his instructions. It was as if something had finally clicked, and Strider had recognized the Force inside himself.

Obi-Wan had realized then, of course, what his problem had been. When they had fought in Rivendell, he had sensed the Force very strongly in him. He'd fought as well as any Jedi, using the Force and also letting it guide him. He simply hadn't recognized that he was doing it, so that when he tried to control something deliberately, like the pebbles and grass, he wasn't sure what to do, how to go about it.

And he was still having trouble, Obi-Wan knew as the blade of grass floated over to complete the mouth. He was hesitant, not sure of his control. Alone of all of them, his rocks and grass had a tendency to overshoot their intended spots, or to drop immediately if his attention wavered in the slightest.

Suddenly, Gandalf spoke. "Look!" They all looked. Merry and Pippin's pebbles flew to their hands, guided by Obi-Wan. Strider's blade of grass skyrocketed out of control, flying past Obi-Wan's head and into the distance.

Strider looked at Obi-Wan, startled. "Did you do that?"

"No, you did. That's what happens when you lose your concentration, though considering how fast that blade of grass went, you could probably afford to lose your concentration a little more, not focus so much. Let go, allow yourself the possibility of failure. A blade of grass is not going to spread chaos across all Middle-Earth just because you let it fly out of control."

Strider nodded. "I am trying."

"Across all Middle-Earth," Sam repeated. "It seems like that's how far we've already gone. Where are we, Gandalf?"

"This is Hollin, once called Eregion by the Elves," the Wizard answered.

Obi-Wan's heart leapt. He had some idea, now, of where they were, and they certainly weren't going in circles. "Then those," he pointed to the tall mountains in the distance, "are Caradhras, Celebdil, and Fanuidhol." He glanced at Legolas, who gave no sign that he had massacred the pronunciations. "Redhorn, Silvertine, and Cloudyhead, in the Common Tongue, if I'm not mistaken, and . . ." He hesitated, trying to pull the Dwarven names from his mind. "Barazinbar, Zirak-zigil, and . . ." He'd lost the other one.

"Bundushathur," Gimli finished. "You have a terrible accent." But the Dwarf was impressed, in spite of himself. "Where did you learn that?"

"Well, I tried to look at some maps in Rivendell," Obi-Wan shrugged. "We've come further than I thought."

"Yes, we have done well," Gandalf agreed, and though he did not share the Jedi's surprise, he seemed very pleased at their progress, pleased enough that he soon decided they should rest for a while, much to the delight of the Hobbits.

Obi-Wan's pebbles flew to his hand and they all sat down to eat. Merry and Pippin sat down next to him, and Boromir and Strider sat down together. Gandalf stood a ways away, looking out into the distance, and with him was Legolas. Gimli stood on Gandalf's other side, mumbling something. Obi-Wan focused, and the Dwarf's voice became louder in his ears.

"I'm telling you, Gandalf, this Force thing of his is dangerous. You saw what happened with Strider's grass. What if that had been a heavy rock, and a little bit to the right? Obi-Wan could be dead!"

"I do not believe that Obi-Wan will allow Strider to practice with larger stones until he has more control," Gandalf pointed out. "And even if he did, I do not believe he would allow himself, or anyone else for that matter, to be hit by one."

"He certainly let them fall on me," Gimli grumbled. "It's dangerous stuff, Gandalf, and it'll be the death of all of us, I warn you, if he's allowed to continue with it."

Gandalf looked over to where the two Hobbits were still practicing, trying very hard to lift their lunches. At last, they gave up and picked up the food the normal way. Gandalf smiled. "I think that there you are wrong, Gimli. It has not done us any harm, and it is keeping Merry and Pippin from other mischief."

Legolas nodded. "I do not see the harm in it, and it may do us some good, eventually. At the very least, it is keeping us entertained."

Obi-Wan smiled. Legolas was on his side, if only because it placed him opposite the Dwarf. But Obi-Wan guessed that the Elf, as well, suspected that there was more to the Force than lifting pebbles and grass, and might well join in the lessons when they turned to something more complicated.

Suddenly, Obi-Wan was yanked from his thoughts by a surge in the Force. He, Strider, and Legolas reacted at once, putting out the small fire they had built and pulling the others to the shelter of rocks and bushes.

Crows flapped overhead, many of them, like a huge black cloud. Spies, Obi-Wan realized. _"You do not see us,"_ he told them. _"We are not here. There is nothing here to see."_ But the creatures were guided by some dark power. He could not be sure that it had worked.

At last, they were gone, and the Fellowship scrambled out of their hiding places. "What was that?" Pippin asked, eyeing the ashes of the fire longingly.

"Spies from the south," Gandalf answered. "We must move on, quickly."

Strider nodded. "The Pass of Caradhras is now the only choice left to us." But there was a not of uncertainty in his voice, and his face was suddenly grave.

* * *

They set off quickly, now quieter than before. Even Merry and Pippin seemed cautious, and did not dare interrupt the others' silence. Obi-Wan moved to the front by Legolas, who alone seemed undaunted by the crows and the news that they would be taking the mountain path.

"Gandalf had expected it," the Elf said when Obi-Wan pointed this out. "Saruman and his spies are watching all paths, and Sauron, as well, has a long reach, and even from Mordor he may trouble us."

"Yet Gandalf seems worried, and Strider did not seem very pleased about this being our only choice."

"Indeed, for it will mean bitter cold and long miles of trudging through snow. It will not be a pleasant journey, but they expected it from the start. Clearly, the Gap of Rohan would be watched."

"What of the Mines of Moria, Khazad-dum? Gloin spoke of them at council; some of his kindred had gone to reclaim it, and nothing has been heard of them."

"Nor will anything be heard, I fear." He glanced back at Gandalf, and then at Strider. "Nay, our need will be very great ere we take that road. It is said that the Dwarves awakened a great evil in the mountains. They were driven out of Moria by the terror the awakened. I fear what may await ten stray travellers who venture there."

"May it not come to that," Obi-Wan agreed.

Legolas nodded his agreement. "Nor do we Elves walk easily beneath the earth. We take comfort in the lights of the heavens, by day or night. The road through Moria, even if the danger were gone, would not be my choice." There was a silence, then Legolas asked, "What did you do when the crows flew over? I could feel something from you, but I could not tell what it was."

By now, Obi-Wan was not at all surprised that the Elf had felt something. "I was trying to stop them from seeing us, cloud their thoughts, but I'm not sure how successful I was. Had they been ordinary crows, I would have no doubt, but these were guided by the Dark Side of the Force."

"This Force. You have mentioned it dozens of times over the past two weeks without ever really explaining what it _is_. You've shown us a little of what it can _do_, and told us that it exists inside everything. You've called it an energy field, but how can energy have two distinct sides -- a good side and a bad side, or a Light Side and a Dark Side? Certainly it is something more than energy!"

Obi-Wan smiled. Legolas wanted answers that even the wisest Jedi would not be able to give him. No one was sure exactly what the Force was, or how it existed. It just_ was_. "Those answers cannot come from me," he said at last. "Search yourself, and find the Force within you, and you will understand."

Legolas, to Obi-Wan's relief, did not look at the Jedi like he had just spoken gibberish. Instead, he nodded. "Whatever it may be, it is clear that Merry and Pippin, at least, have some talent, and Aragorn, as well, once he finds the right balance."

"I take it that Aragorn is Strider."

"Oh. Yes. I'd assumed he'd told you; the two of you spoke often in Rivendell."

"He told me of his heritage, but not the name that went with it. I think he feared it might slip, if he told me. He also said that you already knew."

"Yes, as does Gandalf. I do not believe the Hobbits have guessed, nor Gimli. Boromir does not know, nor should he. For the moment, they see each other as equals; this is well for all of us."

Obi-Wan nodded. Legolas was right, of course. Boromir and Strider were getting along perfectly. In fact, they seemed to be the least of anyone's worries, especially his. He was much more concerned with Gimli, who made a point of staying as far away from both him and Legolas as possible. Obi-Wan had been so sure he would come around, but how long would it take?

Obi-Wan stared off at the mountains in the distance. They had a long road ahead of them; the last thing they needed was a problem within the Fellowship.

Which forced the question: Which of them was the problem? And what could be the solution?

* * *

**Herendil -- **Well, I think now I've explained some of why Aragorn is having a tough time using the Force. More to come on why he has a hard time with control. :)

**Lunatic Pandora1 -- **hmmm, lightning. Does he ever use lightning? Have to go back and watch Episode III again sometime to make sure, but I don't think he does.

**Satra -- **Yes, Legolas has found a new way of teasing Gimli, which is even better because the Dwarf doesn't know it's him. :) Poor Obi-Wan.

**xWhit3StaRx -- **You play the piano? Cool. I can play Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and I used to be able to do Silent Night, but that's just about it. My left hand gets too bored. :)

**lolegolas --** :) Yeah, that's the reason I wrote it, because Obi-Wan's my favorite, and I'm completely obsessed with Lord of the Rings. So why not throw them together . . . :)

**CrazyCanadianLlama --** I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do with Obi-Wan and Gimli, but they probably won't go on hating each other forever. Once things start happening, I think they'll learn to work together.

**Jake Ross 2 -- **You're completely right. It's Geonosis, not Geonosha. I don't know where that even came from, except from the fact that I don't pay attention. Geonosha is an island or something that's mentioned a couple times in the X-Men comic books, I don't know why I confused the two. :) Thanks for pointing that out, mellon nin.

**SNAITF -- **That happens to me, too, like all of a sudden I'm completely obsessed with Faramir or Aragorn or something, someone I like but am not typically obsessed with. Unlike Smeagol, who I'm obsessed with all the time. :)

**ally127 --** :) Yeah, if it weren't for the character interactions, they'd probably be to Khazad-dum by now. :) And I'd have to actually do some thinking about the plot instead of just having people talk back and forth. :) Wonderful stalling technique.

**Night of the Land --** Nope, your teacher's not crazy. We had an essay, then we had two pop quiz essay things over our summer reading, and now we're doing a speech. But I actually prefer that over science, where we've been doing metric conversions (zzzzzzzzz) half the hour and then our teacher just lets us talk (zzzzzzzzzzzzzz). At least it gives me time to do my history homework. :)

**The Dancing Cavalier -- **Yeah, I've always thought people should come along and make movies out of all the stories here, but I guess actors have better things to do. :) Like get married for the twelfth time or make their teeth even more unnaturally white than they already are. :)


	8. The Only Way

Disclaimer: Obi-Wan is not mine. Lord of the Rings is not mine.

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**Chapter Eight  
The Only Way**

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"This is what I feared," Gandalf muttered, and Obi-Wan could hear the frustration in the Wizard's voice. The snow was getting deeper and deeper as the climbed higher up the Pass of Caradhras, and still they were nowhere near the top.

Yet they plodded on, and Obi-Wan at last stopped to scoop up Merry, who was trailing behind. Pippin had moments before been picked up by Boromir. Obi-Wan could feel Merry shivering. He tried to summon the Force to send some of his body's own heat into that of his companion, but it had no visible effect; he couldn't give what he didn't have.

Indeed, on the journey up the mountains, the Force had not proven to be much use. Obi-Wan had been frustrated at first to realize that he couldn't shield them from the falling snow. His efforts simply amounted to nothing; some stronger power, he was sure now, was guiding this storm.

One thing had lifted his spirits, however. At Boromir's advising, they had brought wood, most of which was now floating alongside the Jedi, also providing something of a distraction for his mind, as he had not been able to give the Hobbits, Strider, and Boromir more lessons for the past three days; all their efforts were concentrated on moving forward.

At last, the Fellowship halted under a sort of cliff, though it provided little protection from either the snow or the wind. Merry huddled in closer to Obi-Wan. Soon, everyone was packed closely together, huddling against the wall.

Obi-Wan remained silent while the others talked. They agreed not to go onward or go back at the moment, because the cliff provided some shelter, and the way ahead would become still more difficult. Everyone was tired, and even the younger Hobbits, Merry and Pippin, were miserable, huddled close together between Obi-Wan and Boromir.

"What are we doin' here, Merry?" Pippin sighed. "What good are we doin' freezin' to death in this snow?"

"Well, you were the one who said they'd have to tie you in a sack to stop you from coming," Merry pointed out. "What did you think we'd be doing?"

"I don't know," Pippin admitted. "I just feel so useless. Look at us! With all the Orcs and Black Riders out there, what is it that stops us here? Snow! It's white and fluffy and -- it's snow! We're sitting here, freezing to death and miserable, because of cold, fluffy snow!"

"That _is_ rather ironic," Obi-Wan nodded. "But this is no ordinary snow, you can be sure."

"Indeed," Strider nodded. "These paths are usually open, and even in the winter this kind of storm is seldom seen."

But the wind, for the moment, was dying down, and the snow seemed to lessen. Obi-Wan looked around at the group, then turned to Gandalf. "If we are to press on further today, it would seem that now is the best time."

Gandalf and Strider exchanged glances, and Gandalf nodded. Obi-Wan picked up Merry, and they trudged onward into the open again. The snow was deep and, though it was falling slower now, was nonetheless becoming steadily deeper.

Suddenly, with a terrible rumbling noise, rocks began rolling down the side of the mountain. Obi-Wan quickly set Merry down and reached out his hand, summoning the Force, but the rocks kept on rolling towards them. Obi-Wan looked around frantically. There was nowhere to hide. They had made a mistake, perhaps, in leaving the cliff.

All this passed briefly through his mind as he picked Merry up again. "To the cliff!" Gandalf shouted, and though it was more than obvious that they would never make it, they all started to run. Huge boulders the size of grown men were rolling down the side of the mountain towards them, followed by a huge wave of snow. It was a race, and they were losing.

Obi-Wan barely had time to think, much less run for the cliff. He held Merry close as he ducked out of the way of one huge boulder, unfortunately placing himself in the path of an only slightly smaller one, which slammed into his right side. Merry was nearly swept from his grasp by the avalanche of snow but Obi-Wan somehow managed to grab the Hobbit's hand in his. He was only vaguely aware of the other members of the Fellowship, black dots around them as the two of them were swept together down the mountain.

A shape passed him that, as best he could tell, more or less resembled a Hobbit. He reached out to grab whoever it was with his other hand, but as he did, a rock struck him in the side of the head, and he knew no more.

* * *

It was freezing cold. At first, that was the only thing Obi-Wan knew for sure. Then he felt them. Hands, holding him, helping him up. Strider he could feel for sure, and hope flowed back into him. There were others here, perhaps all of them. 

He tried to open his eyes, but his face was still in the snow. How deep was he? The hands were coming from above; surely he was buried. Obi-Wan tried hard not to panic as his attempts to draw breath proved futile. He was a Jedi. Jedi didn't panic in situations like this. Obi-Wan concentrated and let the Force flow through him. He could hold out long enough . . .

Suddenly, all at once, the snow was lifted, and he was free. Obi-Wan's eyes shot open as he gasped for breath. Strider was there, and with him were Merry and Frodo. Obi-Wan looked around. The others seemed just as surprised as he that the snow had been suddenly flung aside. Had he done it unknowingly, Obi-Wan wondered, or had it been one of them? Surely none of them had the ability yet. Legolas, perhaps, may have been able to, but he wasn't there. His only guess was that somehow the Ring had done something; surely it had the power. But that made even less sense. Its power was evil; why would It save him?

"Is this everyone you've found?" Obi-Wan asked, coughing.

Strider shook his head. "Legolas is looking for others. Besides him, though, yes, this is all of us."

Obi-Wan shivered. Pippin's irony had been accurate. Perhaps the Enemy didn't need to send any armies. He could simply bury them in the snow.

Just then, Legolas came running. "Aragorn! I found Gandalf and Sam, over this way!"

Obi-Wan looked where the Elf was pointing, off towards the east. They would be going further along, and it would be harder to go back, should they wish to do so. But had they already gone too far? Was there no going back?

Without a word, they followed Legolas. The sun was setting behind them, and the night would be cold. Obi-Wan realized the wood he had brought was now gone. And what of their supplies? If Bill had been swept away, as well . . .

At last, Gandalf and Sam came into view, along with a rather huge boulder. The snow was less there, sheltered somewhat from the blowing drifts, but it was still at least a foot deep. A few pieces of wood were off to one side. Obi-Wan could see no sign of Bill, nor indeed any supplies but those Sam had carried with him.

Gandalf came forward to greet them and held out a leather flask. Strider took it, drank a mouthful, and passed it to Obi-Wan. The Jedi looked at it curiously for a second but then put it to his lips. Immediately, warmth coursed through him, filling his body. Obi-Wan passed the drink to Frodo and turned to Gandalf in wonder. "What is it?"

The Wizard smiled. "It is miruvor, a gift from Elrond. But it will not keep us alive forever in this snow, even with whatever supplies Sam has in his pack. I'm afraid--"

"Look!" Merry pointed off into the distance. "Someone's comin'!"

Obi-Wan had felt it, from a little ways off. He looked up; one shape was coming towards them, moving slowly but not slowing down.

Legolas looked. "It's Gimli."

Obi-Wan watched the Dwarf come closer. "Does he see us?"

Legolas nodded. "There are seven of us here, and a huge rock. He sees us. A Dwarf's eyes don't miss rocks."

Gimli came closer, grumbling to himself. When he was near enough, he glared up at Obi-Wan. "What good is this Force of yours if you couldn't stop those rocks from falling on us? What good is it? You can lift little rocks but not big ones?"

Obi-Wan wasn't in a mood to argue. "Look, Gimli, there was some sort of power behind those rocks, just like the snow. I don't know why I can't do anything about them, but I can't."

Gandalf nodded. "We shouldn't dwell on that until we are out of danger. We must find either a way to go on or a way to go back. We cannot stay here forever."

"But Boromir and Pippin are still out there!" Merry objected. "We can't leave them!"

"Boromir and Pippin will look for a way either forward or back," Frodo pointed out. "They wouldn't wait to find us, without any food or supplies. They've probably set out already, Merry."

Merry looked down. "But which way should we go? We've come this far; should we go on?"

"There is much farther still to go," Gandalf said. "I do not believe we have enough food to last us the whole way, to say nothing of wood for a fire. But we should make one now, if we can, and stay here to rest, and perhaps to wait for others. Gimli has found us; perhaps they will, as well." Obi-Wan noticed that Gandalf was taking great caution to say perhaps. If they waited for Boromir and Pippin when they had, indeed, gone on or back, they would be waiting until they all froze to death.

"But we cannot wait forever," Strider added, gathering the wood together. "Time is precious." Obi-Wan smiled. The Ranger had said exactly what he had been thinking. "And while we wait," he added, "we must decide where we are to go."

Sam sighed. "How can you even light a fire in this wind with nothing but damp wood?"

Obi-Wan held out his hand and concentrated. Red, orange, and yellow flames sprouted from the wood. Gimli looked suspiciously at Obi-Wan, as if at any moment he might decide to set something else aflame. But Obi-Wan ignored him as they all moved in closer to the warmth of the fire.

There was a long silence, but at last Strider spoke. "You say we do not have the supplies to go on, Gandalf. Do we have enough to go back?"

"I am not sure," Gandalf admitted.

"Where would we go?" Merry asked. "Back to Rivendell? To get more supplies? And then set out again -- for where?"

Gandalf shook his head. "No, we should not return to Rivendell. We would lose too much time. We should try another way as quickly as may be."

"What other way?" Frodo asked. "Boromir suggested the Gap of Rohan, but the Ring, you said, must not come near Isengard. What other way is there?"

Legolas and Obi-Wan exchanged a look. It had been brought up at last. The only question left was who would say it first.

"There is another way," Gandalf said at last. "It leads to the Mines of Moria."

Gimli looked up, and even Obi-Wan was unsure which of many emotions was brightest in his eyes. Frodo, Sam, and Merry looked at each other. They had heard of it, perhaps, but probably knew little or nothing beyond what they had heard at the Council.

"Is it the only way?" Frodo asked, and it was obvious what the Hobbit was asking. Was the pass over the mountains impossible? Did they have to go back, and possibly leave Boromir and Pippin? Was there, indeed, no other way at all?

The Wizard stared into the fire, and the light from the flames danced across his face. At last, he looked up into the Ringbearer's eyes. "Yes, Frodo," he said slowly. "It is the only way."

* * *

**Herendil -- **Yes, I'm looking forward to Moria, too. Hope they actually get there sometime in between science class and writing at midnight after cramming for history. :)

**xWhit3StaRx -- **Yeah, I've played trumpet for . . . (counts on fingers) this is my sixth year. Wow. I didn't know I'd played for that long. :) I'm not terrific but I'm not terrible either, and our band director is great, so even if I stunk, I think I'd still have fun. :) He gets a little stressed out when huge concerts come around, but other than that, he's great. (which is more than I can say for my science teacher, who must be the most boring guy on earth.) :)

**SNAITF -- **Well, as you saw, they do have miruvor. Good thing, too. As for being book or movie based, I guess you could say the council was more movie-based, but as for the other stuff, such as who wants to go to Moria and who doesn't and who suggested it (Gimli in the movie, Gandalf in the book), I'm more following the book, except that Legolas and Obi-Wan figured it out, which in all reality Legolas may have, but didn't want to say anything about it. Once they get to Moria, book and movie basically do the same thing, so it won't really be based on one or the other, but when I want details, nine times out of ten, I'll go back to the book.

**Lunatic Pandora 1 -- **You're right, Merry and Pippin aren't exactly Jedi material, but as you probably know so I feel a little stupid pointing this out, not everyone who's force-sensitive is really great Jedi material. :) Little voice in my head is telling me to stick to what I know, but I think that sounded at least halfway intellegent. :)

**The Dancing Cavalier --**Glad you liked it; I really like doing one-on-one character things because I don't get to too often and probably won't do it a lot once things start happening because people don't have time to talk deep philosophical stuff in the middle of a battle with the Orcs. Or a Balrog, for that matter. :) But for the moment, it works. :)

**Crazy Canadian Llama -- **:) Boromir's lack of talent is the last thing on anyone's mind right now, I think. Everyone seems to be looking forward to Moria; I can't imagaine why. (evil grin)

**Ally127 -- **Yes, well, now the fact that they're separated should keep them out of too much trouble until they run into each other again.

**Night of the Land -- **Man, I don't think I like your history teacher. :) Ours is great. He was demonstrating the Batton Death March (think I spelled that right) and he took us on a march through the school and at the end there was only one person left "alive" to be rescued by General MacArthur (know I spelled that one right; it was on our test). I got "killed" for volunteering to read twice. Go figure. Trying to be too helpful. When will people learn to appreciate it. :) Oh, well. I thought being helpful would keep him from "killing" me. (sigh) Teachers. Different race altogether. :)


	9. When Push Comes to Shove

Disclaimer: Star Wars is not mine. Lord of the Rings is not mine.**

* * *

**

**Chapter Nine  
When Push Comes to Shove**

"Then we should leave as soon as possible," Strider said. Gandalf looked at him curiously. "You're right," the Ranger admitted. "It's the only way. We cannot press on further. Our wood will soon be gone, and we have few supplies, which will not last for the whole journey."

Merry looked up. "Can we at least wait here a while, for Boromir and Pippin to find us? They still could, couldn't they?"

"Of course," Gimli nodded. "I did."

Merry looked at Gandalf. "We can wait, can't we? At least a little while?"

Gandalf looked kindly down at the Hobbit, but Obi-Wan could tell he wasn't nearly as optimistic as Gimli about Boromir and Pippin's chances of finding their way. "Yes, Merry, we will wait for a while, but when I say it is time for us to leave, you must come with us."

Merry nodded reluctantly. It was clear he wanted to wait as long as they could for his friend. But Obi-Wan knew why the Wizard had said what he had. Boromir and Pippin would most likely head back, hoping that would be where the others would go, as well. Gimli had found them on his way back, but that was no guarantee. Boromir and Pippin could have been swept elsewhere, and be following a different path back. They had no way of knowing if the two of them were even together, though Obi-Wan certainly hoped they were.

Or, the Jedi realized, they could be dead. He didn't want to think about that, but it was a possibility. They could have been killed by the rocks, or buried in the snow. But there was no way any of them wanted to say that to Merry, though he knew Gandalf, as well, had thought of this.

Legolas looked around. "It's getting darker. I don't know how they'd -- look!" He pointed off into the distance.

All their heads turned, but Obi-Wan could see nothing. "What is it?" he asked.

"I just saw it for a -- there's another one. Rocks, Obi-Wan. In the distance, being thrown into the air. Someone's trying to get our attention."

Obi-Wan jumped up. Pippin! It had to be! "Let's go!"

"The three of us should go," Strider agreed, motioning to Legolas, Obi-Wan, and himself. Gandalf nodded and they took off.

Soon, Obi-Wan could see the rocks for himself, shooting into the air like fireworks much higher than anyone could have tossed them without the use of the Force, so that if it had been light, they could have been seen from much farther away. Obi-Wan reached out with the Force and grabbed one, moving it in circles in the air, hoping the Hobbit would get the idea. They were coming.

"Pippin! Boromir!" Strider called as Legolas ran on ahead. "We're coming!"

They came closer, and Obi-Wan breathed a sigh of relief. They were both there, Boromir with Pippin in his arms, Pippin shooting rocks about the size of his fist into the air. Obi-Wan broke into a run even through the snow and the three of them soon reached Boromir and Pippin.

"Are you all right?" Strider asked.

Boromir nodded. "I'm fine. Pippin is a little bruised, but that's all, and he didn't let that stop him from saving us."

Pippin grinned as the rocks floated to the ground. "He saved me first. He pulled me out of a pile of snow twenty feet tall!"

Boromir laughed. "Five, at most. But for a Hobbit, that would suffice." He turned to Obi-Wan. "Are the others safe?"

"Yes. They're back this way, all of them."

"Good. He's done nothing but worry if Merry was all right."

"He's fine, but worried about you, as well, Pippin. We should go back now, and then, I suppose, Gandalf will wish to leave."

"Where are we goin'?" Pippin asked.

"To the Mines of Moria," Strider answered as calmly as he could manage.

Boromir's eyebrows shot up. "But the Gap of Rohan--"

"Would take us too close to Isengard," Obi-Wan explained. "We don't have a choice; we lost most of the supplies. If we continue on, the Hobbits will freeze to death, and perhaps the rest of us, as well."

Boromir nodded. "If it is indeed the only way, then it is the only way, but my heart is against it."

"As is mine," Strider agreed, "but it is the only way."

They reached the others just as the fire was dying. "You found them!" Merry grinned.

Boromir set Pippin down. "Yes, they found us, thanks to Pippin."

Merry wrapped Pippin in a huge hug. "I thought I'd never see you again!"

Obi-Wan smiled. So Merry had, indeed, in spite of Gandalf's silence, known the possibility. And he'd kept his head. Obi-Wan was impressed.

Legolas grinned. "I guess this Force is more useful than you thought, Gimli."

"They would have gone back eventually, and would have found us," Gimli reasoned.

Obi-Wan shrugged. "The important thing is, we're together."

Gandalf nodded and rose. "And now we should be off."

It was hard trudging through the deep snow, and all of the Hobbits were now being carried -- Frodo by Strider, Sam by Legolas, Merry by Obi-Wan, and Pippin by Boromir. Gandalf and Gimli walked side by side, silent, but always pressing forward.

The night grew darker, and the stars appeared, but still they trudged on. Merry soon fell asleep in Obi-Wan's arms. The Jedi looked around. Of the Hobbits, only Frodo was still awake, and even he was nodding. The snow had stopped falling, as if the mountain was content to allow them to retreat.

Obi-Wan stretched out his free hand, curious, and the snow flew aside in front of them like so much sand in the wind. Gimli crossed his arms stubbornly, determined not to admit that the Force was proving useful. "Now, why couldn't you have done that before?"

Obi-Wan stared, wondering the same thing as he continued to clear the path. He hadn't been able to move it at all before, but something had. Something, or someone, had lifted the snow off of him when he had been buried. He just wished he knew who, or what, it had been.

With Obi-Wan's help, they made their way down much quicker. It was gradually growing warmer, and though Gandalf did not know exactly where they were, it was obvious they were going in the right direction. Soon, they left snow altogether, and Obi-Wan looked around. He could see little by the moon and stars, but there was grass, and rocks, and plants, and even a few scattered trees. There was life again!

Gandalf smiled. "We shall rest here for the night; tomorrow we shall try to find the Gates of Moria." Everyone lay down to go to sleep, except Strider, who beckoned to Obi-Wan to come with him.

"We shall need to find food before we journey on," he explained to the others. "We may be able to find some in these parts."

Obi-Wan nodded and got up. He hadn't slept in what felt like forever; what was a couple more hours? He could tell Strider was as exhausted as he, but for some reason wanted to talk, and wouldn't wait until morning.

They headed out into the night, Strider leading, a worried look on his face. "We shall need to fine enough for at least the four-day journey through Moria. We must assume the worst, that we will not find any there. I doubt the Dwarves stayed there long. But if by some chance they are still there, I shall be glad of it. They would be generous hosts, I am sure. Balin is an old friend of Bilbo. Frodo would simply have to mention the name of Baggins and we would all be welcomed with honor."

Obi-Wan smiled. "I'm sure we would. So why do you seem so worried?"

"As I said, I doubt that any Dwarves are in Moria still, and I fear the worst. I have been there once before, and though I survived, the memory is evil. I cautioned Gandalf against this road when we set out. The mountain pass was my suggestion, and it has proven disastrous. We have lost our supplies and are fortunate to be alive. But for your lessons, we may never have found Pippin and Boromir, and our departure would have been much slower without your aid."

"I'm glad I could finally be of some use. Until then, I'd done nothing but teach you and the others how to float pebbles around."

"Which proved useful in itself. None of us have been of much use yet, Obi-Wan. But the time will come. We shall all get our chance."

"Strider?"

"Yes, Obi-Wan?"

"When you and the Hobbits found me, and were digging me out of the snow, it seemed to me that at once all the snow flew off. Did you see that, as well?"

"Yes, I did. I had assumed it was your doing."

"It wasn't. Someone else did it. Or something."

"You think it was the Ring."

"Unless it was you, Merry, or Frodo, which, with all due respect, I doubt."

"I agree, especially because you yourself were unable to move it. But why--"

"I don't know. I would have mentioned it to Gandalf, but I didn't want to until I was sure it had actually happened. One can never be completely sure of anything in situations like that."

"Yes, it happened. But something else struck me as strange, as well. Pippin."

"What about him?"

"He'd never lifted anything like that before, only pebbles and blades of grass. Why was he suddenly able to lift rocks?"

"Because he needed to. The pebbles and grass, Strider, were, though fun, just that -- for fun. They were a joke, a game. When push comes to shove, people can do more than they think, if they keep a cool head."

"I'm impressed, then, that he didn't panic."

"He may have, at first, but Boromir was with him. It's better to face danger with a friend than alone."

"Not always."

"What do you mean?" Obi-Wan asked. He couldn't remember a single mission where he would rather have been alone than with Qui-Gon or Anakin. It was as natural as breathing for him to have a friend at his side, or to wish one was there.

Strider smiled. "I'm a Ranger, Obi-Wan. I'm used to being on my own, to having no one else to worry about. If I got into danger, the only one who got into danger was me."

"And the only one to help you get out was you."

"Yes, but don't make that sound so hard. The only one I had to get out of danger was myself."

Obi-Wan thought of how many times he and Anakin had saved each other's lives. Could either of them have gotten out of any of those situations alone?

Strider had been to Moria, and had given the impression that he had made the journey alone. Gandalf had gone alone. Both had come out alive. Would it have been the same had they gone together?

Maybe the two of them, Obi-Wan reasoned, but what if Strider or Gandalf had gone with, say, Pippin? Would something have happened if they'd had someone else to worry about, to take care of? Would any of them have made it out?

Now there were ten of them, only two of whom knew what they were doing. Did they have any chance? Was that why Strider was so reluctant to take this road? What was it about Moria that he feared?

Obi-Wan watched silently as Strider used the light of the moon to pick out which plants were edible. He and Gandalf would not say what had happened when they had entered Moria. Legolas would only say that the Dwarves had awoken an evil terror in the mines. What was it they spoke of?

And would their Fellowship have to face it?

* * *

**SNAITF -- **You got the DVD already? Cool! We're probably getting it for Christmas, so, no, I haven't seen any of the extra stuff yet, but it sounds really cool.

**Night of the Land -- **Well, I'm trying to update quickly, but first there's play practice and then there's a calculus test and then our band director dumps a new piece on us that we have to be ready to play in two weeks and it goes all the way up to high A and we have to go really fast, so I really should be practicing that, but my lips hurt, so I took a break. (I play trumpet.) :) Da da da da-da-dadada da-da-dadada da. :) Sleigh ride!

**Ally127 -- **Oh, those were twists? I thought they were just random things I came up with to delay actually doing anything with Moria. :) Just kidding; I'm looking forward to it, and am actually getting there pretty soon. :) It's going to be fun.

**The Dancing Cavalier -- **Oh, don't worry about Boromir and Pippin. Well, you already know that, since you read the chapter and know they're fine. No, I don't like to kill people off without a reason. Unless I'm just in a terrible mood. When that happens, I kill them off first and then come up with a reason later. :) But either way, I like to have a reason. And killing them both off in the mountains would have been almost pointless.

**Lita Lightning -- **Oh, I'll keep going. This is probably going to be one of those mega-long fics that goes through the entire trilogy and then some if he gets back. :)

**Lunatic Pandora 1 --** Hmmm, a bit worse than in the movie or the book? They could've made it a little worse in the movie. But in the book, they get pretty desperate before they finally decide to head back. :) Okay, so they didn't get swept apart by an avalanche, but they might have if they'd kept going at that one point . . .


	10. A Price

Disclaimer: Lord of the Rings is not mine. Star Wars is not mine. It's the tenth chapter; you should know that by now.

A/N: Well, since now you can't post reviewer responses, you'll probably be seeing a lot more of these author's notes. Yes, don't worry, the Balrog is coming. What's Khazad-Dum without a Balrog? (The answer is 'safe'.) :) Enjoy.

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**Chapter Ten  
****A Price**

Obi-Wan sighed and looked around again. Merry and Pippin sat with Boromir by the lake of water near them. Legolas stood near a tree, blending in with the background. Frodo sat on a rock, with Sam close by. Strider stood a little ways away, staring into the distance. Last, Gandalf and Gimli stood by the doors.

The doors. The puzzle eluded the entire Fellowship, even Obi-Wan. He had tried to use the Force to open them, but to no avail. Gandalf still stood, puzzling, in front of the doors. Obi-Wan had gone over near the younger Hobbits.

"Do you think he'll ever get it open?" Pippin asked.

Merry sighed. "If he doesn't, what will happen?"

Boromir shook his head. "I don't think that's the question we should be asking. What I want to know is this: What will happen is he does?"

Obi-Wan looked around. Everyone else seemed to share the idea, not knowing which fate would be the worse one. Everyone, that was, except for Gimli. The Dwarf stood confidently by the Wizard's side, sure that whatever lurked on the other side of those doors, it was better than never knowing what had become of his kindred who had ventured there.

Merry slowly lifted a pebble using the Force, and tossed it across the water. It landed with a splash on the other side.

Pippin grinned, and lifted one of his own. But before he could throw it, Obi-Wan brought it to his hand. "Sorry. I don't wish to spoil your fun, but . . . I sense something in the water. Alive, close by. I do not think we should disturb it."

Merry and Pippin nodded, accepting the answer. But Gimli came over, scoffing, obviously annoyed. "Creature in the water, indeed. How could you possibly tell from here?" And before Obi-Wan could stop him, he threw a rather large stone into the water.

Strider whirled around. "Gimli! We are already in enough danger without inviting more. Please! I know you do not trust Obi-Wan, but do not endanger this Company because of it." He stepped back to his place by the wall and motioned to Obi-Wan to join him.

"I didn't mean to provoke him," Obi-Wan insisted. "I was only trying to--"

Strider held up his hand. "I know. Dwarves can be easily angered. Be careful, Obi-Wan. We do not need enmity within this Company. Enough shall find us from elsewhere."

Obi-Wan nodded his understanding. He'd had to deal with people he didn't like before, plenty of times. Why was it so difficult now?

Perhaps because it was his fault. It had been his rude awakening of the Dwarf that had begun all this. He knew better now, but too late, and it was that which troubled him. This could have been prevented. Easily. And yet it hadn't been.

Suddenly, Gandalf laughed, startling all of them. "Of course. How simple, like most riddles when you see the answer. Mellon!"

At this word, the doors creaked open. Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. Melon? Wasn't that a kind of fruit? What kind of a password was that?

It was Strider who answered him, without even hearing the question. "Of course. The door reads, "Speak, friend, and enter." Mellon is the Elvish word for friend."

Obi-Wan nodded. Of course. "Speak 'friend,' and enter." Easy once you had the answer right in front of you. No wonder that Gandalf was laughing.

Suddenly, Obi-Wan felt the presence in the water behind him grow. He turned around just in time to see a huge head and several tentacles rise right out of the water.

The head was huge, with an equally huge mouth. The tentacles reached out for the Fellowship. It was obvious what this creature wanted; Obi-Wan didn't need the Force to feel it, though he could. This being only wanted lunch.

Obi-Wan raced for the shore to grab the younger Hobbits, but it was too late. One of the tentacles had grabbed Pippin around the middle. Merry drew his sword to slice at the tentacle, and Gimli drew his axe, but neither was fast enough. Both were soon enveloped by the creatures' limbs.

Legolas drew his bow, and Strider quickly followed suit. Obi-Wan reached out with to Force to hold the three tentacles still, giving them better targets. It wouldn't help them to injure the Hobbits, though Gimli's thick armor may have protected him from a stray arrow.

But holding the limbs in place required all of Obi-Wan's attention. He didn't notice a tentacle grabbing his leg until it was too late. Boromir rushed to his aid, but the Jedi was already high in the air.

Obi-Wan tried desperately to still hold the tentacles in place, but his focus had been shaken terribly. The creature took this opportunity to fling Gimli aside; apparently it had decided so much armor wouldn't taste good.

Legolas fired, then Strider, then Legolas again. Boromir and Gandalf had waded out and were hacking at the tentacles with all their might, somehow managing to avoid being caught themselves.

Hanging upside-down, Obi-Wan could see Frodo and Sam huddled together near the entrance to Moria. Gimli was regaining his senses and rushed to join the fight. But this was all a blur to the Jedi.

He needed to relax. He drew a deep breath, as best he could with his chest being squeezed now by the creature. Below him, he could see its huge, gaping mouth. He swung his head around, hoping for a glimpse of Merry or Pippin. To his relief, he saw that Merry had fallen safely into Boromir's arms, and that the tentacle that held Pippin remotely resembled a pincushion. It wouldn't be long before the creature dropped the other Hobbit, as well.

And then Obi-Wan was falling. Falling towards the creature's mouth. But then he felt a surge in the Force, so strong that he couldn't even pinpoint where it had come from. He felt a jolt as he landed in the water next to the creature's head.

Obi-Wan was amazed, but he had no time to stop and ponder the source of this sudden burst. Instead, he drew his sword and stabbed the creature directly in one of its huge eyes. The beast howled in pain and dropped Pippin into Strider's waiting arms.

The creature was diving. Obi-Wan could feel in it its strong natural instincts, to return to its home in the depths. Suddenly, though, he felt its tentacles wrap around his legs. It was dragging him under! Obi-Wan kicked with all his might, but it was no use. The tentacle wrapped around his body, pinning his arms, and his sword, in place. Just before he was drawn under, he drew a huge breath. He would need it.

But even for a Jedi, one breath would not last forever. Soon, his lungs were burning, begging for the air he could not give them. He tried desperately to relax his mind. Panicking took up too much oxygen. At last he was relaxed. He was doomed, but he was relaxed.

Suddenly, Obi-Wan felt a blade nick his arm as it slashed through the tentacle. Obi-Wan passed a barely free hand through the water. "This dinner is not worth it," he thought. "Go back. Go back to the depths." He could feel the creature's simple mind. It had no great strength of will. This would work.

Slowly, the tentacle unwound itself from Obi-Wan. The Jedi kicked for the surface, not knowing just how far it was. He lost conscious just before breaking the surface, but felt several warm, welcoming arms wrap around him, pulling him to safety.

* * *

Slowly, light came back to Obi-Wan's eyes. A collective sigh of relief was released by the whole Fellowship, even Gimli. Perhaps the Dwarf couldn't stand the thought of anyone, even Obi-Wan, dying for his little mistake. In any case, as Obi-Wan sputtered and gasped for breath, even the Dwarf looked somewhat relieved.

Obi-Wan's eyes darted around the Fellowship. Several, especially Gimli, Boromir, and Strider, were still sopping wet. Water was dripping from Gandalf's beard, and all the Hobbits were shivering. Even Legolas, who had stayed on the edge to shoot, and Frodo and Sam, who had stayed as far away as possible, were wet; they had obviously either rushed in to help after the creature had gone under, or been splashed even from the distance. All were cold and wet. All had done their best. The Fellowship had survived its first trial.

"Is everyone all right?" Obi-Wan asked.

Gimli burst out laughing. "Of course. The one who nearly fell into that thing's mouth and then nearly drowned wants to know if everything is all right."

Obi-Wan resisted the urge to mention that he was the one who had mentioned the existence of "that thing" earlier, and that a certain someone had ignored him. Instead, he said, "When that happened, when I nearly fell into its mouth, I felt a presence in the Force. Someone -- or something -- pushed me out of the way in time."

Legolas looked around. "One of us?"

"I don't know. You would have been my first guess, Legolas; you have the strongest connection with the Force."

The Elf shook his head. "I was distracted, trying to save Pippin. I didn't see you fall until it was too late."

Obi-Wan turned to his next best bet. "Gandalf?"

The Wizard shook his head. "I did not do it, Obi-Wan."

The Jedi looked around. "Then I do not believe it was a member of this Company." That was simply a polite way of saying that, frankly, no one else had the ability.

Gimli, at least, was out. Pippin had been occupied with kicking and screaming. Strider, Boromir, and Merry, though the thought may have occurred to any or all of them, simply did not have that kind of control yet. That left Frodo and Sam, who were even less likely to have the ability. He had thought perhaps Legolas or Gandalf might have been able to save him in this manner, but both had denied it.

Obi-Wan looked up at Gandalf. "Then I think I may have an explanation, and though it makes less sense, it is possible."

"The Ring. You think It somehow saved you."

"It would explain things, but raises even more questions, the most important of which being: Why?"

"Agreed," Gandalf nodded, "and perhaps in time the answer will reveal itself. But, for now, we must continue. Strider has gathered what supplies he can, for we have seen no sign of any Dwarves. But not all hope is lost, for we have not yet ventured into the Mines."

"Well," Obi-Wan nodded, sitting up clumsily, "we should do so. I have a bad feeling about this place. We should not stay here long."

Boromir offered his hand, and Obi-Wan took it. The Gondorian easily pulled the Jedi to his feet, then drew him aside as the others packed their bags. "I am uneasy about this place, as well, Obi-Wan, but we appear to have no choice." He looked around. "We have already met a share of trouble, and all survived, due in part to you and your lessons. Though we may not have as much sheer luck in the future, I believe that we have proven something."

"What do you mean?" Obi-Wan asked. He had a feeling he knew, but he wanted to hear it in Boromir's own words.

"We have proven that we can stand together, despite our differences. Gimli may not show it well, but he is as relieved as the rest of us that you were unhurt. He came to help when the creature took you, just as you came to help him. You may be different, and those differences may cause tension, but you can trust each other.

"And now we must again put that trust to the test. The road through Moria will not be an easy one, and only Gandalf and Strider know it. We shall have to trust to their memory and their judgment, for though we may be uncomfortable here, we are here nonetheless, and we are going through."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "It is not their judgment that I am uneasy about. This whole place makes me uncomfortable."

"It makes all of us uncomfortable, except perhaps Gimli. But we must push past that, through trust. The mountain pass was a failure, but no lives were lost. That creature knew of our presence because of a mistake, but we all survived. Let us hope that it will be the same along the way, that we may learn from our mistakes without paying a serious price."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Yet because of Caradhras, we have only what supplies Strider has been able to find, and because of the creature, we are all cold and wet. That makes me wonder . . ."

"Wonder what?" Boromir asked.

Obi-Wan met his friend's gaze. "What more do we have to lose, before we do pay a price?"


	11. While the Wolf Waits Below

Disclaimer: None of this is mine.

A/N: Hey, hey, I never said the Ring saved Obi-Wan. I simply said it was Obi-Wan's best guess that the Ring saved him. The two are not the same thing. As for updating, I thought I explained why I have a problem with updating regularly. School. Track. Choir. Band. Little brother. Dad always on the computer. Yeah, thought I explained it. :)

* * *

**Chapter Eleven  
****While the Wolf Waits Below**

Darkness. That was the first thing Obi-Wan noticed as the Fellowship entered Moria. Even with the light still coming in from the outside, the ancient Dwarf-kingdom still seemed endlessly dark. There was also something else, something he couldn't quite place, that made him feel dizzy and weak.

Around him, Obi-Wan heard everything from gasps to shouts of disbelief coming from the rest of the Fellowship. As his eyes adjusted, he realized why. Dead corpses lay everywhere, probably Dwarves by their height, their rotting remains pierced by arrows. Obi-Wan took a step back. Certainly this explained some of what he had felt.

Some. He had seen death before, even in these numbers, in this way, and yet it had not made him feel quite like this. The feelings had never been so strong, so vivid. Perhaps his senses were growing stronger here, he reasoned, here where there were so few people around him, fewer bustling cities and roaring ships. Never had he been so isolated for so long from these aspects of his life, with people who found it perfectly normal. Maybe this place, this Middle-Earth, was beginning to affect him.

Obi-Wan looked around, but he still couldn't see much. One thing he did see, though, was an old torch, lying abandoned on the floor, burnt out. He summoned it to his hand and, after receiving an approving nod from Gandalf, lit it. Gandalf placed some sort of crystal at the top of his staff, which began to glow, as well.

The light, however, did not have its desired effect. Now that they could see more, more stairs and more passages and more bodies, most of the Fellowship obviously wanted to leave. The Hobbits, either consciously or unconsciously, were inching towards the door. Boromir and Strider had drawn their swords, and Legolas had his bow in hand. Gimli stood completely still, as if in shock, taking in everything. Only Gandalf looked around, not unafraid, but his wise old eyes clearly showing that he accepted the danger.

Obi-Wan gave the Wizard a nod. Neither said anything to each other. They didn't need to. The point was made: the Fellowship needed to go through Moria, and they needed to keep moving. "We have to go," Obi-Wan said, and was surprised at how his voice echoed about the stone walls.

His intention was clearly misunderstood. The Hobbits turned and headed for t he door. Legolas and Boromir remained, but looked as if they were ready to leave at any moment. Gimli still stood, now indignant, perhaps wanting to stay and learn more about the fate his kinsfolk had met. Strider simply looked to Gandalf, clearly ready to do whatever the Wizard said.

"Wait!" Obi-Wan called to the Hobbits. "I said we had to go; I meant _that_ way." He indicated Moria with a sweep of his free hand. "What's back out there? Nothing. No danger, except that creature from the water, but no way around this place, either. If we stay out there, we will be here until we die of starvation, or go back, for once we leave Moria, we will not wish to reenter it."

Everyone nodded their agreement, at least, to the last statement. They did not wish to be there now, much less return once they had left.

"Then let us make for the Gap of Rohan," Boromir once again suggested. The others seemed more ready to listen to him now. Saruman seemed a faraway danger, compared to the dark unknown of Moria.

But Strider shook his head. "No. Obi-Wan is right. We chose this path, and it is the path that we must take. The threat of Saruman to the Ring is too great to risk the Gap of Rohan. The mountain-pass has failed. We have now only two choices. We must go this way, through Moria, or go back. And to go back is to admit that we have failed completely, and that Middle-Earth is doomed. I believe this road should at least be tried before we concede that."

Gimli at last turned to watch the rest of the Fellowship. He stood by Gandalf, making his point clear without words. He would follow the Wizard through Moria if it were the last thing he ever did. Strider and Obi-Wan, as well, stood further in by the Wizard and the Dwarf, awaiting the others' response.

To Obi-Wan's surprise, it was Legolas who moved first, coming forward to stand by Strider, who had sheathed his sword. Slowly, almost reluctantly, Legolas lowered his bow.

Once someone else had moved, Frodo came more easily, and with him Sam. Soon, they stood in the light of Gandalf's staff, at least partially comforted by the presence of both the Wizard and the light. Boromir, Merry, and Pippin looked at each other and decided without words. Boromir sheathed his sword and clapped a hand on Strider's shoulder, and the other on Obi-Wan's. "Very well. Through the mines, then."

So they set off. Obi-Wan soon found another torch, which he lit and handed to Legolas. The Elf seemed eternally grateful for the light, but still looked far from comfortable. It was as if he, too, sensed something that he could not quite place.

Slowly, the Fellowship fell into an order, as they had to walk single-file through some stairways and passages. Gandalf was ever in the lead, his staff showing the way. Close behind him walked Gimli, and, whatever the reason, this seemed to lift both their spirits. Perhaps Gimli was glad, as they all were, to have someone who knew where they were going, and perhaps Gandalf was simply delighted to have someone by his side who actually wanted to be there.

Next came Frodo, and Sam behind him. The pair seemed to linger between the light of Gandalf's staff in front of them and Legolas' torch behind them. After Legolas were Merry and Pippin, and then Boromir. Obi-Wan came next, and Strider with him. Whenever the path widened, the two walked side by side, sharing the same determination to keep going despite their own fears, which they didn't share with each other, but had no need to. Boromir, as well, often lingered at the back with them. They never spoke, for Gandalf had warned them all to be as quiet as possible, but it was clear that a bond had been formed.

At last they came to a halt. Before them stood an archway with three passages. The left one led downwards, the middle one straight, and the right one upwards. Obi-Wan, relieved for the rest, slowly stretched his arms and legs. Even after all these days of walking, none had been quite like this. Here, even with the way lit by torches, there was the constant risk of falling. As if that weren't enough, on the way down all the stairs, there had been several gaps where the stairs had simply worn away and fallen. The taller folk had leapt easily across all but the widest, but the little ones were too small. Obi-Wan had found himself working like an elevator, using the Force to lift the Hobbits over one gap after another. Gimli, of course, always refused, insisting on jumping the gaps himself.

Gandalf told them that they would rest here, but Obi-Wan had already guessed as much. The Wizard wanted time, time to think. He led them to a door to the left of the archway, and opened it. The Wizard entered first, with Gimli right behind him. Slowly, the rest of the Fellowship ventured in, as well.

The room was rather plain except for a large hole in the center. It was probably a well, Obi-Wan realized. His guess was soon confirmed by Gimli, who said this was the guard-room, used to watch the three passages.

The Fellowship lay down to sleep, all except Pippin, who had the first watch. Obi-Wan fell asleep immediately, surprised by his own weariness. His limbs ached, and his head was pounding. Why? What made this place so different? He found no answers as the darkness took him.

* * *

Obi-Wan was roused from his sleep by a cry of, "I knew it! I knew this Force of yours would bring us nothing but trouble! I knew! I told you! Now look what has happened!"

He didn't have to open his eyes to recognize Gimli, but he did, anyway. By now, the entire Fellowship was awake. "What?" Obi-Wan asked. "What's happening?"

Everyone looked at Pippin, who looked as pale as a ghost. "I . . . I was trying to keep myself awake, practicing with . . . with the pebbles I had. I decided to . . . to try some of the larger stones in here. I . . . I lost control, I suppose. One . . . it fell down the well."

Obi-Wan looked around. Worried looks filled the entire Fellowship. Only one person, however, looked as angry as Gimli. Gandalf was glaring at Pippin, who was by now shaking. The Hobbit had obviously not expected such a big deal to be made out of one stone.

"The fault is not yours, Obi-Wan," Gandalf said firmly. "It was Pippin's choice to play with the stones. You should know better, Pippin. At the very least, you could have practiced elsewhere, not over the well." He sighed. "But go back to sleep, all of you. You, as well, Pippin. Perhaps it would be safer if I did the watching."

Soon, most of the Fellowship was asleep. Only Obi-Wan and Gandalf remained awake. Slowly, on aching legs, Obi-Wan rose and approached where Gandalf was seated. "Pippin didn't mean any harm," he said quietly, sitting down.

Gandalf nodded. "Of course he didn't." Obi-Wan could tell, to his relief, that the Wizard was not being sarcastic.

"He's so young," Obi-Wan sighed. "So young and innocent. Part of him still thinks this is all a game."

Gandalf nodded again. "I'm afraid, though, that we will see that change. Frodo has already begun to accept his burden, his responsibilities, and realize what all of this means. Sam, Merry, and Pippin will, as well, eventually."

"Not that you're making it easier," the Wizard added with a smile. "All these games you play with them, with the pebbles and the grass, that's the real reason. You want them to be able to hold onto that, to cling to that innocence."

Obi-Wan stared into the darkness. That was it, of course. For all he wanted them to actually learn, Gandalf had found the real reason. Part of him didn't want to see them change. He loved their wide-eyed curiosity, their genuine love of everything new and exciting. They were the epitome of innocence, and he wanted that to remain the same.

Yet it couldn't, and he knew that in his heart. Children had to grow up. Sooner or later, all of this would start to affect them, change them. He just hoped he could help them through it.

Now more comfortable talking in the silence, Obi-Wan changed the subject. "A ways back, on one of the stairway passages, I began to feel something. I'm . . . not sure what it was, but I think . . . it was almost like . . ."

"Like we were being followed," the Wizard finished.

"Exactly," Obi-Wan nodded. That was it, though he hadn't known it at the time. It was good to have the feeling explained.

"We are," Gandalf nodded. "Gollum has been following us since shortly after we entered."

Obi-Wan nodded his understanding. This was another new danger. Gollum wanted the Ring. Yet the threat was not immediate. Gollum would not strike here, alone, with a Fellowship surrounding the Ringbearer. But Frodo must not wander off alone. And someone must always be on guard.

So was that it, he wondered. Was that what he had felt when they had entered, that he was there, and the feeling had gotten stronger as the creature started to follow them? Yet it had seemed as if the feeling had been new, not a growth of one that had existed before. Perhaps this explained what he felt, but it was still more likely that his perceptions were simply better here, he reasoned.

At last, Obi-Wan decided he should at least mention it. "When we arrived here," he said, quietly, "I felt something like . . . like I have never felt before. I'm not sure exactly what it was. It may have been a presence of some kind. It could simply be because of all the . . . the remains here. But whatever it was, I thought I should tell you."

Gandalf turned, and smiled. "I am proud of you, Obi-Wan."

"Why?" the Jedi asked.

"It took trust to mention that, to admit it, thinking it could have been nothing but your own fears taking shape in your mind. You are no longer afraid of appearing weak, at least not in front of me. I am proud of that, Obi-Wan. You are beginning to feel as if you belong here.

"As for your feeling, do not ignore it. I can assure you, it does mean something. Exactly what, I do not know, but be on your guard, Obi-Wan."

"I will," the Jedi assured him.

The Wizard smiled. "But now, take some rest. You will need it tomorrow, and after."

Obi-Wan rose and went back to his place. Seeing Pippin asleep nearby, he rustled the Hobbit's curly hair. Pippin gave no response; he was fast asleep. Obi-Wan smiled. He looked so peaceful, even after what had just happened.

If only that could last forever, he thought, lying down. If only . . . if only . . .


	12. Darkness Wakes

Disclaimer: Not mine, not mine, and, then, of course, there's 'not mine.'

A/N: To answer your question, no, Obi-Wan has not met up with the Black Riders yet; nor is he likely to do so in Moria. :) We'll have to see what happens afterwards. He'll run into them sooner or later; it's just a question of when.

* * *

**Chapter Twelve  
****Darkness Wakes**

It was Gandalf who roused them in the morning; he had kept watch all through the night. After a short breakfast, he told them that the right-hand passage, the one climbing upwards, would be the best. Obi-Wan's legs groaned, but in his mind, he knew it was the right choice.

The way up the stairs actually proved easier in some ways. The footing was surer, the stairs less crumbled. Also, it seemed to Obi-wan that they widened; in most places he and Strider could walk side by side with room to spare. Though neither spoke -- for the most part, all were silent -- Obi-Wan was comforted merely by his friend's steady presence.

They went on for hours; how many, Obi-Wan did not know. But they only stopped twice and even then the rests were brief. Obi-Wan took any opportunity he could to stretch his legs. Climbing stairs, Obi-Wan realized, was so much different than wandering the flat lands between Rivendell and Caradhras.

At least it wasn't cold, Obi-Wan assured himself, as the mountains had been. Despite his attempts to be optimistic, however, the darkness seemed to be growing, a darkness that grew beyond the mere absence of light and crept into the very depths of Obi-Wan's mind and soul. There was something strange happening; that was for sure. But what?

Suddenly, just as Obi-Wan was beginning to think they were getting nowhere, the path widened into a huge chamber. Obi-Wan took a step back and looked up to Gandalf at the front. Could this be right. Where were they?

But Gandalf only smiled, and a bright light blazed forth from his staff. Obi-Wan looked around. They were, indeed, in a large hall. Ahead, an archway lay in front of them, and one each on the left or right sides of the chamber, leading north and south.

Gandalf announced that they would rest there for the night, if it was indeed night, and Obi-Wan immediately sat down. Strider joined him, smiling. "You are a worthy companion, Obi-Wan," he said, as if he could tell the Jedi had been pondering how utterly useless he was being. "Not all could have made that march with as little rest. Some twenty miles, I would guess, we have covered in close to eight hours."

Obi-Wan nodded. That sounded about right, though he wouldn't have argued even if it hadn't.

Instead, he watched the rest of the Fellowship. Boromir sat with Merry and Pippin. Gimli was near them, with Frodo and Sam, and Gandalf was close by. Legolas remained standing on the very fringes of the little circle. Presently he came over to Strider and Obi-Wan.

"One can only listen to Dwarven poetry for so long," he explained, at last sitting down near the two of them.

Obi-Wan smiled. The Elf was obviously trying to make light of a terribly uncomfortable situation. Obi-Wan, as well, didn't feel quite safe in this wide-open space, and Strider, too, appeared uneasy.

"Thank you, Legolas," Strider said at last, "for being willing to take this route. I know you would not have advised it."

"Nor would any of us here, save Gimli," Legolas pointed out.

"And Gandalf," Strider added. "He knew from the start that we may have to travel by this road. It is surely too early to breathe easily, but other than that stone, I should say things have gone far better than I had hoped."

"I, as well," Legolas nodded.

Obi-Wan looked away from Gimli, who had been reciting some old Dwarven song. "I would say the same, but I have, at times, felt as if there was a presence, waiting, just waiting--"

"Gollum," Legolas nodded.

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "Goodness, does everyone but Frodo know?"

"I don't believe the other Hobbits know yet," Strider answered. "Boromir thought he heard something, so I told him, to keep him from mentioning it around Frodo. I believe he, or Gandalf, has told Gimli."

Obi-Wan smiled wearily. "Yet that one creature can hardly be held responsible for all the doubts, all the fears, all the misgivings, that everyone here has felt. There _must_ be something more. It's more than one slimy cave-creature who is after the Ring! I know it is!"

Strider nodded, and when he spoke, his voice was low and gentle. "Obi-Wan, none of us like this place, with the exception of Gimli, who seems to be enjoying himself save for the fact that we have encountered none of his kindred. Yet we have come this far without incident. Perhaps . . . perhaps it is only that -- a feeling. Perhaps it will never amount to anything more."

Obi-Wan smiled, and nodded as he lay down to go to sleep. "I hope you're right."

The Fellowship was roused by Gimli and Gandalf. "We should keep moving," Gandalf said, "but before we continue on towards the Great Gates, we should learn exactly where we are, so that we may choose the right paths. There appears to be a light coming from the northern arch, to our left. We shall begin with that."

Obi-Wan nodded, but he was worried. He glanced over at Strider, who nodded. Gandalf was weary. He had not slept the previous night, and since neither of them had been roused to watch, who knew how much of this night he had sat alone, just thinking. Now he was thinking out loud; he had no need to explain to them the reason for his choice to explore the northern passage. But he had, which meant he wanted their approval, to make sure he was making the right choice, which could mean, Obi-Wan realized, that he was not sure of the choice himself.

Nevertheless, everyone slowly got to their feet, gathered their things, and followed Gandalf. The light grew stronger as they entered, and they could now see that it was coming from a door that led to the east. Through this they passed, and, at last, high above them, a window opened in the east to a blue sky. Obi-Wan's heart leapt, but there was another feeling, as well, in the room, for the others were strangely silent. At last, Obi-Wan tore his eyes away from the beautiful light, and saw why.

It was a tomb, Obi-Wan could tell immediately, and the top was a beautiful stone slab of white. The writing on it was of a kind Obi-Wan had not seen, but he already had a guess as to whom this tomb belonged.

"Balin, son of Fundin," Gandalf read, confirming the fears of at least half of the Fellowship. "Lord of Moria."

Obi-Wan shuddered. There were bodies lying there, decaying, as in the entrance to Moria. Swords and axes lay scattered on the floor, with a few bows among them, short bows, as if made for Dwarves to use.

Gimli fell to his knee by the tomb and bowed his head. The Hobbits were silent, staring all around them. Legolas lingered by the western door, with Strider by his side; the pair obviously wanted to leave this place as soon as possible. Boromir stood by the Hobbits, and Gandalf by Gimli.

Obi-Wan looked around. There were several places where the stone of the wall had been cut out, as if to serve as shelves. On one of these, something caught the Jedi's eye. It was an old book, torn and dusty. Obi-Wan reached out his hand and summoned to book to him. Then he handed it to Gandalf, who knelt down by Gimli's side, blew some dust off the cover, and opened it.

Obi-Wan stepped back to where Strider and Legolas stood, watching the rest of the Fellowship. "We must move on," Legolas insisted, obviously speaking to Strider, because Gandalf was occupied. "We cannot linger."

Strider shook his head, watching Gimli. Obi-Wan understood immediately. The book he had found possibly held the clues to what had happened to the Dwarves. Gimli deserved some answers before they moved on.

And yet Obi-Wan also understood the Elf's desire to continue on with all speed. The darkness seemed to be growing still, and the blue sky was now little comfort. It seemed now an unreachable goal, like the distant horizon that is always just beyond one's grasp.

Still, Obi-Wan listened intently as the Dwarves' story unfolded. They had been prosperous at first, had driven away the Orcs and had made Balin the Lord of Moria. But then Balin had been slain by an Orc while looking into something called mirrormere -- Obi-Wan made a mental not to ask about that later, when they were safely in the light of day again.

After Balin's death, things had begun to fall apart. Gandalf read many Dwarven names, and it seemed that they had been dying left and right. At last, they had been forced into one last stand.

"We cannot get out," Gandalf read. "The end comes. Drums, drums in the deep. They are coming." The Wizard closed the book and looked at Gimli. "It ends there. It appears that none survived. Keep this, Gimli, to take to Dain."

Gimli nodded and placed the book gently in his pack. Gandalf rose and looked around. "We should continue on. Yet our presence here has not been in vain, for I know now where we are. This is the Chamber of Records, high above the Great Gates, and north. We should go back, and make our way down the stairs to the--"

He stopped suddenly, for in the distance there came a boom like the beating of drums. "They are coming," Gandalf realized. "Trapped, just like they were before. We should have gone sooner."

"Quickly! Out the eastern door!" Obi-Wan shouted.

"No!" Gandalf countered. "It is no good fleeing blindly with the enemy right on our tail."

Strider nodded, drawing his sword. "We must delay them here first."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow, but drew his sword. Strider and Boromir shoved the western door shut, but before it was shut all the way, Boromir glanced out. "Orcs, and a cave troll!" he reported. "There is no escape that way."

"Keep the eastern door ajar, then," Gandalf nodded. "We will go that way, if we can."

The drums came steadily closer, and soon Obi-Wan could feel the enemy pressing against the door. He reached out with the Force to help Boromir and Strider keep it shut.

Suddenly, there was a huge crash, and the door shattered into thousands of pieces; the troll had broken through with its hammer. Strider and Boromir were hurled backwards as the enemy poured in. They were on their feet within seconds, under the cover of Legolas' arrows, which quickly felled two Orcs.

Obi-Wan resisted the urge to immediately hurl himself into the fray. Instead, he stayed back with the Hobbits and let the enemy come to him. There was noise all around, the clanging of swords and the whir of arrows and the smashing of the troll's hammer. For a moment, Obi-Wan realized there were no laser blasts, no lightsabers, no force fields, no planes. This really was a whole different world.

Just as suddenly, he realized Pippin had been swept from his sight. Looking around, he saw that the Hobbit had been forced into a corner on the other side of the chamber, and a rather large Orc was looming over him.

Obi-Wan raced towards the Hobbit and at last made a jump for it, landing behind the Orc and slicing its head off in one blow. Pippin stared for a moment in amazement before another Orc came. This one Pippin drove his sword into with a yell, while Obi-Wan sliced off the arm that was threatening the Hobbit.

"Strider!" came a call from the other side of the room. Frodo was being dragged out of a crevice in the wall by the troll. But Strider was all the way across the room, with Merry. The closest to Frodo was Legolas, who immediately rushed to help. Between strokes, Obi-Wan managed to look over and see Legolas shoot an arrow into the beast's throat. Then the Elf raised his hand.

What was he doing? Obi-Wan wondered, but as soon as the question had formed in his mind, he knew. The arrow had barely penetrated the troll's thick skin. Legolas was trying to use the Force to drive it further in. But it was taking all of his concentration, for the troll had raised the club in his hand, and the Elf was also holding this at bay.

Suddenly, an arrow came whizzing from the far side of the chamber and struck the Elf in the side. In that split second Legolas lost his control. The club came swinging down with all the force he had been holding in check, and slammed Legolas into the wall. The troll raised the club again to bring it down on the Elf, who lay motionless in a pile of rubble.

"No!" Obi-Wan shouted, and, leaving Pippin to his own devices, raced towards the Elf. In one leap he was on top of the troll's shoulder, and a quick stab in the side of the neck quickly diverted the beast's attention.

Obi-Wan looked around hurriedly. Many Orcs lay dead. The rest were fleeing the way they had come. Unfortunately, the troll seemed to have no intention of doing the same, and its arm came up to whack Obi-Wan in the chest. Obi-Wan was sent flying, but flipped in the air and landed on his feet. Strider had his bow out now and was taking aim. As soon as the creature turned towards him, he let it fly. Obi-Wan waved his hand and the end of the arrow burst into flame, and plunged deep into the troll's neck. After teetering for a few seconds, the beast fell to the floor.

As soon as the troll hit the floor, Obi-Wan rushed to where Legolas lay. Gandalf was already kneeling by the Elf's side. "The arrow-wound is not bad," the wizard assured him. "The aim was poor and a rib stopped it, I believe. But he was hurt worse in the fall. Unfortunately, we cannot linger here to tend to the wound. Nor do we have any choice but to move him. We must press on, immediately."

Strider carefully lifted Legolas and Boromir picked up the torch, which Obi-Wan quickly lit again. They all headed for the eastern door. But on the other side, Gandalf stopped.

"Quickly, down the stairs, all of you," he instructed. "Wait for me at the bottom, but if I have not come in a few minutes, go on. Choose paths leading right and downwards."

"We cannot leave you here!" Strider protested. Boromir stood by his side, as well, defiant.

"Do as I say!" Gandalf ordered. "Swords are no more use here."

Obi-Wan sheathed his sword. "Then let me stay, at least. I can help you."

Gandalf looked the Fellowship over. They would not leave him alone, not without a long debate, for which they had no time. "Very well," the wizard nodded. "Obi-Wan shall remain with me. But the rest of you, go, now! Quickly!"

Obi-Wan watched as the rest of the Fellowship disappeared down the stairs, visible only by the light of the torch Boromir bore. Gandalf closed the door of the chamber of records. It was plain what they had to do. Somehow, the two of them had to keep the door closed, keep that one barrier between them and the enemy that would surely return soon.

Obi-Wan watched the torch go further and further down, further and further away. At last, he could see it no more, and he and Gandalf were alone.

* * *

Muahahahahaha. Oh, isn't that just the perfect place to end the chapter. Legolas is hurt and Obi-Wan and Gandalf are left to face the enemy alone. Muahahahahaha. (Hey, I updated quicker this time. Aren't you proud?) I promise, they won't be stuck in Moria forever, though the thought did cross my mind. :) Muahahahahahaha.


	13. Shadow and Flame

Disclaimer: None of it is mine.

A/N: Yeah, I know, I haven't updated in forever, but I hope the wait's worth it. Yes, the Balrog finally shows up; I couldn't exactly delay it any more, could I:)

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen  
****Shadow and Flame**

Gandalf turned to Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan shook his head. "No. Don't say it. I'm not going to leave."

The wizard actually smiled. "I know. You're a good man, Obi-Wan, as I knew from the beginning." He paused. "But if anything should happen . . ."

"It won't," Obi-Wan said firmly. It was a foolish statement, he knew, childish, even, but he wanted so much to believe it. "It won't," he repeated, "and I won't leave you."

Gandalf smiled, and Obi-Wan let out a chuckle. "What is it?" the Wizard asked.

"It's just that . . . when you said I was a good man, you sounded almost like Qui-Gon. He . . . he said that I'd been a good apprentice, and that I was a much wiser man than he was."

"Only now you don't feel wise."

"Don't you see? This is all my fault! It was Pippin's stone that alerted them to our presence."

"Perhaps."

"No, not 'perhaps.' I can feel it. And if I hadn't taught him to use the Force--"

"He would have died on the mountain, along with Boromir."

"But I don't _know_ that. Maybe they could have survived. Maybe they would have found us anyway."

"Obi-Wan, we must all accept the consequences of our actions, both good and bad. Pippin's blunder put us all on alert. Who knows what could have happened to alert them to our presence had we not been so cautious of every step afterwards? Why, one wrong step on one of those stairs could have sent a whole shower of rocks into the depths, making a terrible racket." He looked deep into the Jedi's eyes. "Listen to me, Obi-Wan. This is not your fault. If you are only staying to hope to pay for what you consider to be your mistake, then leave now."

Obi-Wan blinked. They could now hear drums in the distance. "No," Obi-Wan said, this time slowly. "For the third and last time, no. I'm staying because I believe I can help you. This is where I am meant to be. Let me help."

Gandalf smiled and nodded. "Then help me hold this door closed while I put a shutting spell on it. And quickly! The enemy approaches!"

Obi-Wan nodded and reached out with the Force, holding the door in place. The drums were coming swiftly closer, and Obi-Wan could feel with them something that sent a shiver down his spine. From the look on the Wizard's face, Obi-Wan could tell that Gandalf felt it, too, as he hurriedly muttered the words to his spell.

Obi-Wan realized, to his surprise, that he was sweating. Whatever was on the other side of that door was very powerful. For a moment, the door began to slip from their control. Obi-Wan shoved against the door with all his might, both physically and with the Force. He heard Gandalf shout something but could not make it out over the beating of the drums.

Then he felt it. Whatever the thing was, it took hold of the door. Obi-Wan could feel the sweat that now coated his shirt, could feel the hairs standing up on the back of his neck. Yet Wizard and Jedi held their ground, together.

Suddenly, the door shattered, throwing both of them backwards down the stairs. Obi-Wan crashed into one stair after another, hitting an arm here, a leg there. At last, his chest slammed into the stone and he bumped into something soft.

It was Boromir who had stopped him, and now helped him to his feet, painful though it was. Every part of his body ached, and his head felt like it would burst at any second. Beside him, Gimli was helping Gandalf to stand, and Obi-Wan could tell the Wizard was in much the same condition.

Obi-Wan glanced back up the stairs. The passageway appeared to be blocked. Not only the door had collapsed, but the walls around it, as well. He looked at Gandalf, who nodded. "For the moment, yes, we are safe, but they will find some way around, or break through. We must keep moving."

So they went onwards in the dark, Gandalf leading the way again, with Gimli by his side. Frodo came next, and Sam. Then Merry, who was now carrying the torch, and Pippin. Next went Strider, still carrying Legolas on his back. At the back was Boromir, helping Obi-Wan along in the darkness, as if leading a blind man.

Obi-Wan was too weary to be bothered by this. He felt so dizzy, as if he would faint at any second, and the darkness seemed to be even darker, even with the torch for light. Yet somehow he managed to keep himself awake, putting one foot in front of the other, leaning heavily on Boromir beside him.

It was nearly an hour, and seemed like a lifetime, before Gandalf permitted them to rest. It was none too soon, either, for at that moment, Obi-Wan's legs gave way beneath him, and Boromir helped him down gently to a seat on the steps. Strider set Legolas down and took the torch from Merry so he could have some light to examine the wound by.

The Elf was still alive and breathing, but looked terribly pale. The pressure from the arrow had kept the wound from bleeding, but Strider feared the flight down the stairs may have jostled it, causing more damage. He removed his cloak and wrapped it around the wound, securing the arrow in place. Then he looked up. "That's all I can do here," he said slowly. "When we get out, Gandalf, my suggestion would be to make for Lothlorien. They will not refuse help to one of their own."

Lothlorien. Elves. Obi-Wan's quickly clouding mind barely made the connection. He could hardly think straight. But he did notice that Strider had said, "When we get out," not, "If we get out." From the look on his face, he didn't quite believe it himself, but was simply trying to encourage the Hobbits.

"What happened up there at the door?" Gimli asked, shaking Obi-Wan from his thoughts though the question was obviously directed towards Gandalf.

So the Wizard explained what had happened, and that the way was blocked behind them. "Oh, yes, very useful, this Force of yours," Gimli mumbled sarcastically when he had finished.

Obi-Wan was too tired to argue. It was true; he had been of little enough use. Perhaps he had delayed the door's bursting by a few seconds, but, in the end, what did it matter?

Obi-Wan felt his ribs where they'd hit the steps. At least a few were either bruised or broken, and it was becoming hard to breathe.

Strider noticed. "We should continue on," he offered, "while we still have the strength. It will be best to reach the gates while there is still light."

Obi-Wan slowly got to his feet, and the others followed. They started down the stairs again, and Obi-Wan wiped the sweat from his forehead. It was getting terribly hot. Even the others seemed affected.

Soon, they realized why. There was a glowing light ahead, bright and red. As they made their way towards it, they found themselves in a large room. A large crevice ran down the room from north to south, fire leaping out of it. Obi-Wan shuddered. They had entered on the eastern side of the north wall. If they hadn't, they would have been trapped.

Gandalf seemed rather pleased. "They meant to cut us off. Indeed, if we had come the other way, they would have succeeded. Let us hope the fire now separates us from our pursuers. Come; there is no time to lose."

As they headed for the eastern side, they could hear in the distance coming from the west the sound of beating drums. "Run!" Gandalf shouted.

Obi-Wan tried to run, and Strider beside him, still carrying Legolas, lingered by the back, as well. Arrows were now whizzing out of the shadows beyond the fire.

At last, they reached the edge of a large, black chasm. The other side, Obi-Wan saw, was too far to jump. Normally, he might have made the leap, but now he felt too weak, too tired, to even try.

There was no need for him to, for there was a bridge, a small narrow one, that spanned the abyss. It was so narrow, they could only pass in single-file.

Gimli started across without hesitation, and the Hobbits quickly followed. Boromir looked doubtfully at Strider, who was still carrying Legolas. "I can carry him."

"No, I will," Obi-Wan volunteered, and, without another word, stretched out his hand and lifted Legolas, and soon the Elf was on the other side, and the three humans began to cross the bridge, with Gandalf close behind.

Suddenly, Obi-Wan felt a wave of terror hit him, nearly knocking him off his feet. Struggling to the edge of the bridge, he at last looked back. Two huge trolls had placed great slabs of stone across the crevice, allowing the Orcs to cross, but that wasn't what he had felt. On the other side, coming towards them, was a being of shadow and flame, of darkness and yet at one with the fire that it so easily leapt across.

There were gasps and murmurs from nearly the whole Fellowship, except for Obi-Wan, who stared in silent astonishment. This was what he had felt back up there at the door. It was a being of incredible power and terror. From Gimli he caught, "Durin's Bane," and from Gandalf, "a Balrog".

Obi-Wan stared, and the shadow seemed to engulf him. He was falling towards it, into it. The flame was enveloping him, and yet he could not struggle.

Suddenly, a note echoed across the stone, loud and clear. Obi-Wan was shaken from the vision by the ringing of Boromir's horn, nearly in his ear.

For a moment, the enemy seemed almost as surprised as he was. His wits recovered, Obi-Wan used that split second to lift the slabs the trolls had placed across the fire and send them plunging into the depths of the crevice.

At this, the enemy seemed to come back to life, and the creature, the Balrog, that had already crossed the fire, advanced towards the bridge with surprising speed.

"Go!" Gandalf ordered the Fellowship, motioning to the door, but as it was plain he would not go with them, none of them went further than the door, and Strider, Boromir, and Obi-Wan, having moved Legolas to safety, ran back to the edge of the bridge to help Gandalf.

The Wizard paid no heed to them, but stood alone in the middle of the bridge. The Balrog came closer, and soon reached the far end of the bridge, but did not immediately try to cross.

"You cannot pass!" Gandalf cried, holding his sword high in one hand and his staff in the other. Obi-Wan stared. The Wizard seemed suddenly so small compared to this foe.

As soon as he thought it, he could all but hear Yoda scolding him. For though Gandalf appeared small, he stood firm and straight in the middle of the bridge, and his voice was confident, and rang out for all to hear.

"I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Arnor! The Dark Fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun! Go back to the shadow! You cannot pass!"

Obi-Wan watched as the Balrog took a step onto the bridge. It held a sword in one hand which appeared to be made of fire itself. In its other hand it held a long whip, which swung in the air as it went. It raised its sword high above the Wizard's head. When it came hurtling down, Gandalf was ready. Sword hit sword with a terrible crash, and the Wizard staggered back a pace. But he quickly steadied himself and stood once more, blocking the Balrog's path. "You cannot pass!"

Something inside Obi-Wan at that moment decided to act. Ignoring his own weariness, he ran back along the bridge, with Boromir and Strider close behind.

Even as they did so, Gandalf struck the bridge with his staff. The staff fell from his hand and shattered, but the bridge broke right at the Balrog's feet. Slowly, it crumbled, and only half the bridge was left standing. The Balrog gave a loud cry and tumbled into the abyss below.

Suddenly, out of the darkness rose the Balrog's whip, like a tongue of flame, and curled about Gandalf's knees. The Wizard staggered, and struggled to regain his footing, but was dragged over the edge of the bridge. "Fly, you fools," came his call.

"No!" Obi-Wan shouted, reaching out his hand. The Force caught the Wizard just out of Obi-Wan's sight in the depths. But the Balrog was pulling, gripping, and Obi-Wan was already weary from his first encounter.

He could feel the rest of the Fellowship behind him, trying their best to help. Strider and Boromir and Merry and Pippin, and even Frodo and Sam, were all reaching out, trying to help. Then a new mind entered their efforts. Gimli was trying, trying with all his untrained will to help. Obi-Wan could feel his stubbornness, his determination. Even if he couldn't really help, he would not let the others fail.

Yet despite all their efforts, Obi-Wan could feel Gandalf slipping further into the abyss. If only Legolas were awake, he thought, but it was useless.

Suddenly, there was one large, wonderful burst of energy from somewhere within the group, and the Balrog released its hold on the Wizard in shock. With the enemy gone, an exhausted Obi-Wan quickly lifted Gandalf to safety, managing to save his sword, as well.

Obi-Wan looked around the Fellowship in surprise, and it was suddenly obvious where the energy had come from, for one of them was staring at his hands in amazement, even disbelief, at what he had done.

"Come!" Gandalf called, regaining his wits rather quickly for someone who had just been saved from falling who knows how far to who knows what fate. "We must continue on! Let us hope it is still daylight! Come!"

The rest followed, Boromir scooping up Legolas as they went. Obi-Wan followed blindly behind Strider, utterly exhausted. They ran up several flights of stairs, passing a few Orcs who were struck down easily or even stepped out of the way of the oncoming Fellowship. At last, they were out, and Obi-Wan could feel the sun, warm on his face.

It was the last thing he felt before he lost consciousness, and was gently lowered to the ground by Gandalf, completely exhausted.

* * *

Muahahahaha. He 's alive! Don't worry; next chapter, the riddle will be solved: Who keeps helping Obi-Wan? Now would be a good time to take a guess; I'm curious what you think. :)


	14. The Truth

Disclaimer: Not mine, not mine, and . . . not mine. It belongs to George Lucas and J. R. R. Tolkien.

---

**Chapter Fourteen  
The Truth**

Obi-Wan awoke to the warmth of the sun on his face. They were outside. They were safe. Gandalf was safe.

To his surprise, it was Gimli who spoke first, smiling down at him from where he sat nearby. "Well, Lad, this Force of yours does seem to be rather useful, despite being a terrible nuisance at times. Well done, indeed."

"Thank you, Gimli," Obi-Wan smiled, sitting up slowly. He turned to Gandalf. "But none of us owe our thanks entirely to me. Surely you felt it -- that last burst before the end."

Gandalf nodded. "I did, Obi-Wan." He turned to Strider. "Did you know before?"

"It happened twice before, as Obi-Wan has said," the Ranger explained. "The first time was on the mountain. It was completely unintentional and I had no idea I had been the one. When it happened again, at the gate, I . . . I began to have some idea. It was obviously someone who had been with him on the mountain. That meant Merry, Frodo, or myself. Or the Ring, but that never seemed to me a likely possibility. Why should Sauron wish to keep him alive?

"At the bridge, it happened again, and I knew it was me. I could . . . feel the power, coming from somewhere, hidden deep within me." He turned to Gandalf. "I should have told you the moment I had any idea, but it did not seem to me as if it would do any good, until I was certain. It would only create more questions."

"It creates more questions, anyway," Obi-Wan said. "The one I'm most curious about is whether you can control these sudden outbursts of energy. You've already shown some control, because the pattern of the energy does not seem random at all. It has appeared in our moments of greatest need. I'm curious whether you will be able to summon them at other times, but I suppose only time will tell." He chuckled. "Strange. I should have guessed the first time one of your pebbles flew out of control. I knew you had abilities you weren't tapping, but I never guessed . . ." He trailed off into silence as his gaze drifted to Legolas, who was stirring.

Strider, obviously relieved by the change in subject, rushed to his friend's side. Legolas slowly opened his eyes. "How do you feel?" Strider asked.

"Terrible," Legolas admitted. "What happened?"

All speaking at once, the Fellowship related what had happened. The Hobbits were especially eager to retell the tale. Legolas listened silently until they had all finished, then nodded, as if their explanations had answered everything. But he cast a curious look at Strider, who had remained more or less silent. Strider avoided his friend's gaze.

Gandalf rose. "We should continue on. Legolas' injuries must be tended to, and I believe we could all use a rest in peace and safety."

Legolas appeared about to object, but seemed to reconsider once he realized where they would be going. Strider helped him to his feet and they set out for Lothlorien.

Down the path they went, a long path of stone that led away from Moria. around them were cracked stones and pieces of pillars. Suddenly, Gimli pointed off to the side of the road, to a single pillar that was broken at the top. "That is Durin's Stone!" he cried in amazement. "It is by that pillar that Durin first looked into Mirrormere! Come, Frodo! Come, Obi-Wan! We must not pass by without having a look for ourselves."

Obi-Wan watched the Dwarf as he sprang off down the path. Frodo followed willingly, and Sam behind him. Obi-Wan paused a moment to wonder why Gimli had invited him, of all people, then followed the Hobbits curiously.

They came at last to the water, beautiful and blue in the afternoon sun. Obi-Wan came up beside Gimli, who was staring into the water, and knelt down.

At first, he could see only the blue of the water. Then the shapes of the mountains and stones nearby came into view. Slowly, ever so slowly, stars came into view where they shouldn't have been able to be seen -- there were none overhead. In a circle they way, like sunken stones. Obi-Wan found himself strangely drawn to them, and was just as hypnotized as the others.

It was Gimli who at last broke the silence. "There lies the Crown of Durin till he wakes." He bowed deeply. "Farewell."

Frodo and Sam headed back along the path, but though he had said his farewell, Gimli lingered at the water's edge. Obi-Wan turned to go, thinking the Dwarf might want to be alone, but as he was about to leave, Gimli turned around. "You can stay, Lad. I am glad you came. Perhaps beauty is easier to appreciate in the light of day. You were as eager as the others to leave Moria."

Obi-Wan knelt down again by the water. "Perhaps. Yet I can appreciate that in times gone by, it must have been a glorious realm. It was not the place itself which troubled me, but that which we found there."

Gimli nodded. "It was almost death that we found."

Obi-Wan sighed. "Thanks to me."

"And yet, thanks to you, we escaped it once again. Every time this Force of yours creates a problem, it's there to help fix it. Perhaps there would not have been an avalanche on the mountain, but we would still have been forced to turn back. Perhaps the creature in the water would have found us even without you. Pippin may have played with the stones by the well even without your lessons." He smiled. "It's easy to blame someone for what happened. It's harder to accept that it may have happened anyway, Lad. Don't blame yourself. We all made it out alive, because of you, because of what you taught Strider.

"And what has happened has brought us closer. We are not simply ten people on a journey together any more. We've faced death together, and come out of it stronger. We are what Elrond said -- one Fellowship."

Obi-Wan stared at the Dwarf and smiled. "Thank you, Gimli. I know . . . I know it's not easy for you to accept me. But . . . I believe we can put that behind us." He looked once more at the water. "We should go back now, but when we have more time, you're going to have to explain this to me. I'm sure there's a very interesting story behind it."

Gimli nodded as they turned to leave. "That there is, Lad."

---

Obi-Wan and Gimli rejoined the rest of the Fellowship, and together they all set out down the path. The bright afternoon sun was warm and they would have liked nothing more than to stop and rest. Gandalf, however, insisted that the enemy might follow them from Moria, and that they had to keep moving.

To Obi-Wan's relief, the Fellowship did not flock around him like a bunch of children now that their lives had been saved. Instead, they seemed strangely content to allow him to linger at the back with Strider and Legolas, who insisted stubbornly that he did not need any help. Nevertheless, Strider remained close enough to catch him, and Obi-Wan was ready to help, should he start to fall.

By the time they reached the Wood, they were a good deal behind the others. It was beginning to make Obi-Wan feel uncomfortable, almost as if they were trying to avoid them.

Eventually, Boromir made his way back towards Obi-Wan, Strider, and Legolas, looking a little guilty. "I didn't realize you were so far behind," he admitted. "I hadn't looked back for a while."

"What's happening, Boromir?" Strider asked. "Are they . . . upset that I didn't tell them?"

Boromir shook his head. "No. It's nothing you did, or didn't do. It's who you are. We all thought we knew, and now . . . now it's not so clear. It's not something anyone would expect from a ranger, or from anyone, for that matter. So everyone is . . . a little uncomfortable. It will pass, in time. But for now, it's as if you're a whole different man."

"I'm the same person."

"The little ones don't realize that, and Gandalf knows they need time. I'm not quite sure what Gimli makes of the whole thing."

Strider looked up. "And you?"

"I was . . . surprised. But some surprises are welcome, Strider. This is certainly one of them. These abilities of yours are amazing, far beyond any of us, except Obi-Wan, and I'll admit that made me a little uncomfortable, but in their own way, this could be the best thing that could happen."

Strider nodded, and Obi-Wan could tell he was just as uncomfortable as Boromir, if not more. "There's no hiding from it now," he said quietly.

Legolas nodded. "That's why Gandalf didn't press the matter." Obi-Wan nodded his agreement.

Boromir looked the three of them over. Everyone knew what was going on except for him, Obi-Wan realized, and Boromir didn't like being kept in the dark. But he was handling it well, with a patience Obi-Wan hadn't realized he had. He was waiting, just waiting, for the answer, and one of them had to tell him.

To Obi-Wan's surprise, it was Strider who explained, a little hesitantly. "There's something else I wasn't completely honest about, Boromir. My name is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. I am of the line of the Kings of Gondor, descended directly from Isildur, son of Elendil."

Surprise was obvious on Boromir's face before Strider had even finished. For a moment, he was speechless. At last, he managed a few words. "Is it possible?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "It's true."

Boromir turned on Obi-Wan. "You knew? _You_ knew and you never told me?"

"I've known since before we left Rivendell," Obi-Wan admitted.

"I asked him not to tell you," Strider put in, jumping to Obi-Wan's defense.

Obi-Wan held up his hand. "It was my choice," he insisted. "We both thought you would be upset."

"You had to have known I'd learn eventually," Boromir exclaimed.

Strider sighed. "You're right," he said slowly. "But I hadn't counted on us -- all of us -- becoming this close. We have an amount of trust I never expected, and I feared the truth would . . . mar that trust."

Boromir turned a hard gaze on Strider. "Coward," he spat, then turned and hurried to rejoin the others.

For a moment, Obi-Wan felt a tug to follow him, to try to talk to him, but he decided against it. Boromir needed some time, time to cool down, time to think, before he could be reasoned with.

But it wasn't all Boromir's fault, Obi-Wan knew. Far from it. Trust had been broken, and wouldn't easily heal. If Strider had been open up-front, though, would that bond ever have formed? Would Boromir ever have accepted him?

For that was what Strider had wanted. He'd simply wanted Boromir's acceptance, as an equal. He'd wanted Boromir's respect, but, again, as an equal, not a superior. He didn't want authority. He didn't want to be King. But now there was no hiding. Boromir knew. The rest of the Fellowship would know soon.

---

Indeed, they soon found the rest of the Fellowship. They had stopped to rest in a clearing. Everyone was seated, except Gimli, who stood outside the group, fingering his axe. Frodo and Sam sat near each other, obviously tired. Merry and Pippin sat on either side of Gandalf, both drowsy and leaning a little on the Wizard. Boromir sat nearby, watching them.

Strider took a seat a little ways away. Obi-Wan was about to join him when Legolas took his arm and motioned down the path. Obi-Wan nodded his understanding and followed the Elf.

"What is it?" he asked once they were far enough away.

"Thank you for trying to protect Aragorn, but please don't. It was his choice to conceal his identity from Boromir. Until he fully accepts responsibility for that, the bond that was broken cannot be mended. The two of them must resolve this on their own."

"But I made the choice, too."

"As did I, and Gandalf, as well, but at Aragorn's request."

"So we just sit back and let each of them mope? That's the plan?"

"They need time, Obi-Wan, to resolve this. You and Gimli needed time to accept each other, and we all gave it to you. Do the same for them."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Just one question. Did you know it was him? Did you guess?"

"As you did, I knew he had potential. I did not realize the full extent of it, however. No, I did not know it was him."

Obi-Wan smiled. "Good to know we're in the same boat."

Legolas looked confused for a moment by the expression, but decided to let it go. "We should return," he said, motioning back along the path."

Obi-Wan followed the Elf, but when they arrived, to his surprise, the Fellowship was surrounded by an army of Elves. One of them was studying them intently. At last, he spoke.

"You can go no further."

---

Don't we love Haldir? Muahahahaha. How many of you guessed it was Aragorn? Sorry I haven't updated in forever, but we've been moving, and then the internet didn't work, and then fanfic didn't like our new e-mail adress and then . . . nope, that's it. It works now. Except I couldn't get the page breaks to work right, so now we have this --- instead. Oh, well. It works.


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